Versus
by SludgeMetal666
Summary: Bra is caught between a rock and a hard place when Goten becomes one of her teachers. Part 15 has now been changed slightly Now includes an epilogueish type thing!
1. Prologue

Versus  
  
~Prologue~  
  
Bra was identical to her mother in looks, but she got almost everything else from her father. She had no problem coming to grips with the fact that she would be short. A 16-year-old measuring in at 5'1" wasn't a big deal to her. She was also more muscular than any girl should be, but retained obvious femininity. Smooth but dense, she easily weighed in at 130 pounds. Saiyans were naturally heavy. So what? She didn't care what other people thought of her, as long as they feared her. And that was easy. All she had to do was lift a car around a few people and the word spread like wildfire. She had but one friend in the entire school and that was her childhood friend, Pan.  
  
Pan was a little less than half a year older than her. She enjoyed being sociable and the like. Sometimes she would force Bra to join her.  
  
But Bra preferred to keep to herself most of the time. She even trained alone now. She had a partner a long time ago—Goten. Any time he was supposed to be training with Trunks, he would train with Bra. And she loved him like a brother. Then when she was 10 and he was 18, it was time for him to go off to college. She was alone. (Her father thought it was better that way.)  
  
Her first trainer. She'd always had a special place in her heart for Goten. She'd had a crush on him since she was, like, 7. When he left, she was devastated and trained so hard sometimes that she could barely move afterwards. And eventually her feelings for him began to fade....  
  
During the summer right before school began, Bulma had a small gathering and all the Z Warriors and their families were invited. Surprisingly enough a lot of them showed up.  
  
Marron—age: 22—was well on her way to becoming a fashion designer and had always been the apple of Krillin's eye. 18 didn't mind modeling some of her designs.  
  
Pan—age: 17—was a daddy's girl and tended to be a troublemaker. She was Bra's best friend and very popular in school (being the granddaughter of the World's Champion, Mr. Satan).  
  
Trunks—age: 25—was working at Capsule Corporation and being groomed to become its president. Goten was still his best friend and they recently began sharing an apartment on the other side of the city.  
  
And what of Goten? Bra looked over at Goten and her brother. Those two always had something to talk about. Goten, the only person she admired in her youth besides her parents. Of course Trunks never wanted her around when he and his best friend were together. But Goten always had an interest in Bra's progress.  
  
"Psst! Bra!" Goten whispered. He did the 'come here' signal.  
  
Bra folded her arms across her chest (something she picked up from her father, evidently) and walked over to them. She caught Trunks in the act of rolling his eyes.  
  
"Hi," Goten said. "Look at you. It's been such a long time. What's up?"  
  
There he was. The guy she'd had a crush on all her life stood before her now. The man it took her at least 4 years to get over now having the same effect he had on her all those years ago. "Nothing really. Just school and training. What about you?" Bra said, trying to sound at least slightly disinterested.  
  
"Well, I've got a bit of funny news for you," Goten said. "I'm going to be teaching at your school. History. You're in one of my classes. Wild, huh?"  
  
And Bra's world shattered. All within a breath Bra went from a carefree teenager to a panicky crush-ridden adolescent. Oh, what a year this would be.  
  
~End Prologue~  
  
--So, what do you think? I've never been good at ending things and it's probably not a very original idea. It just hit me all of a sudden and I thought it would be funny to do something like that. Of course the first part is kind of a bore because I had to establish the situation, but maybe future chapters will be better....I hope.  
  
--Oh, yeah. To those of you who are really into specifics, forget it. There's probably very little in this story that coincides with the DBZ or DBGT series.  
  
--And as always, the disclaimer. If I owned any of these characters, I wouldn't be HERE doing stories on them. I'd be out corrupting the world with this swill. And let's be honest, NOBODY would want that. 


	2. A Frustrating Mess

Versus  
  
~A Frustrating Mess~  
  
Bra looked down at her schedule. She'd tried earlier to get it changed to no avail. She then looked up at the classroom door. It was the right room, but she hoped that the teacher would not be the one written on her schedule. She opened the door slowly, closed her eyes and entered. Unfortunately when she opened them, there he was.  
  
"Goooooood morning, Bra. It's nice to see another student is early," Goten said, sitting at his desk.  
  
Bra pretended to fake a smile. (In a way she was happy to see him and in a way she wasn't. Her only defense was feigning apathy.) She looked over at the other student who had arrived early. It was her only friend.  
  
"Hey, Bra. Come sit in front of me," Pan beckoned.  
  
Bra took the seat. "You're in your uncle's class. Weird."  
  
"Well, it's not all bad so far. Of course, I've only been in here about two minutes," Pan said. She laughed.  
  
Bra, on the other hand, did not.  
  
"All the other history teachers who used to work here all quit except Mrs. Flinglestein or whatever her name is. And Goten just started working here. The classrooms are packed," Pan said.  
  
"So that's why I couldn't get my schedule changed," Bra muttered.  
  
"Get your schedule changed? Didn't you get all the classes you wanted?" Goten asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.  
  
More students began to enter the classroom.  
  
"Yeah, I did. But I wanted to change the times around," Bra lied.  
  
Pan gave her a strange look.  
  
"Well, you were lucky. A lot of students didn't get the classes they wanted," Goten said. He returned to the front of the classroom and started writing on the board.  
  
"You're not usually so picky about your classes. Why's this year different? It's not like you're a senior yet," Pan said.  
  
Bra just frowned.  
  
The bell rang for class to begin and by this time Bra was already tired of Pan's interrogation, so she stopped talking to her altogether. She had to consider how the next year would go. And that, in and of itself, would cause some major complications.  
  
Sure, Bra's life was complicated before now. She kept her training from her mother, her father hated for her to be around the opposite sex and her best friend was the granddaughter of her father's rival. That was enough to make a girl wonder if life would ever get easier for her. No such luck. Now the worst had happened. The man she'd loved for more than half her life was teaching her least favorite subject.  
  
It was so unexpected for Goten to even take this route. There's no way anyone could have seen it coming. He showed no signs of such interests growing up. So, how did he end up in this situation? What made him chose to settle into a life of teaching when all he really wanted to do was train and fight?  
  
She found herself looking out of the window on occasions and thinking about when she was younger. Thinking about how he spent so much time with her and how he always treated her with so much more kindness than he treated even his own niece. Of course he teased her a lot, but that was just the way they were.  
  
"Earth to Bra. Wake up. Are you paying attention to me at all?" Goten asked with his arms across his chest. He had been in the middle of a lecture to which no one was listening, yet he chose to call on Bra. "What year did World War II begin?"  
  
Bra looked over at Goten and shrugged, turning a deep shade of red.  
  
"I was told that this is your only weak subject. And I can see why, since you won't even open your book," Goten said.  
  
It was the first day of class and he was already chewing her out. That's great. And in front of the whole class.  
  
"Why don't you see me after class about this little problem," Goten stated. Just then the bell rang. "As for the rest of you, read Chapter 1 and we'll discuss it tomorrow."  
  
"What did you do to him, Bra? He's really out for blood with you," Pan said, gathering her books.  
  
"I don't know. I didn't do anything," Bra responded.  
  
"Hate to say it, but I'm glad it's you and not me," Pan said. "Gotta go. Good luck." She made her exit.  
  
Bra sighed. "Fine," she muttered. She watched Goten as he erased the board with long strokes. She was mesmerized by the way his body moved.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Goten asked.  
  
Oops! Had he turned around? Bra rolled her eyes, but she couldn't fight the blush creeping up on her cheeks. "You wanted to see me?" was all she could concoct.  
  
"Hey, I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of everyone. I just had to seem like I'd get down to business. You know how teenagers can be if you don't put your foot down," Goten said.  
  
Bra folded her arms across her chest. "So you made an example out of me. Great. Are you done?"  
  
"Actually, I'm not," Goten replied, smiling.  
  
Her scare tactics never worked on him for some reason.  
  
"I was serious about your weakness in history. I'd like to see if I can help you. We should spend some time studying together," Goten continued.  
  
Bra's protest caught in her throat when she thought about spending time alone with Goten.  
  
"And maybe we can catch up on old times while we're at it," Goten said.  
  
As soon as she found her voice, he went and said that. And with his usual playfulness too. That always made her melt like butter. So her lone protest came out as, "Mm?" She chewed her bottom lip instinctively. Something she'd stopped doing years ago. Something she did only around him.  
  
"Yeah. It'll be so much fun. I wanna see how you've been doing without me on your training," Goten said, hands on hips.  
  
"That'll do as your death wish," Bra said, trying her best to sound like her father. She smirked as only Vegeta could.  
  
The bell rang for the next class. Goten smirked back as only he could. "You're late for class, tough-girl." He wrote her a pass.  
  
Damn! Her attempts to look cool were always conveniently thwarted around him. The advantage of carrying the Son name. Well, that and incredibly good looks.  
  
"Fine," she said. She took the pass and left. She could feel the effects of his presence. He had tugged diligently on her heart strings and it was hard to tell if he would ever let go. The thing is...he had no idea.  
  
~End A Frustrating Mess~  
  
--Thank you to everyone who reviewed the prologue to this story. Hope you all enjoyed that installment of Versus. This stuff is a little out of the loop for me cause I'm still pretty new at this. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading it. Tell your friends.  
  
--Will there be a next chapter? I'm not sure. But if you want one just ask and I'll see what I can do. And if you have any suggestions on what should happen next or some criticisms on what has already happened, just let me know.  
  
--Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. 


	3. Threadbare Tapestry Unwinding Slow

Versus  
  
~Threadbare Tapestry Unwinding Slow~  
  
He'd asked Bra to meet him at the local library after school. It sent butterflies to her stomach to know that they would be using the fabled study rooms. She'd heard the legends of long ago—of how the study rooms had been used to develop relationships. And every now and again such a place was where a boy became a man and a girl became a woman. So her focus would definitely not be on history.  
  
Should she really be thinking about this man in such a way? She'd known him all her life. He was her best friend's uncle. He was her brother's best friend. Her mother had practically raised his father. Her father hated his entire family. And most importantly, he was much older than she. Wait. What should it matter? Her feelings were her feelings no matter what anyone else thought about the situation.  
  
With that, she braved the entrance of the old building and to her surprise Goten had beaten her there. He sat in one of the chairs in the lobby, reading the newspaper. The newspaper? The Goten she knew would become so bored by it, he would be close to tears. Now he was voluntarily reading it. It was a change in him that surprised her in a way, yet something about this change in him made her even more attracted to him.  
  
She knew he had felt her energy as she approached so he turned to her and smiled. "I thought you'd never get here," he playfully bantered.  
  
"Didn't think I'd stand you up, did you?" Bra returned. "I'm not that kinda girl."  
  
Goten smirked. "Then, shall we begin?" He stood. He was still wearing the clothes he worked in—a black short-sleeved dress shirt, khaki pants and black dress shoes. The bad-boy of the teaching community, assuming the no-tie look. It made her heart knock vigorously at the back of her chest. She could hear its rhythmic refrain so much so that it made her wonder if he could too.  
  
"Lead the way, Teach," Bra said. She followed him up the spiraling stairs of the library. Her hormones would have to be tamed if she didn't want this grown man, her teacher for goodness sake, to know her feelings for him.  
  
The first study room right next to the stairs would be theirs. As they entered, Bra calmed herself with controlled breathing. Inhale. Exhale.. Inhale... Exhale.... Inhale..... Exhale...... Inhale.......  
  
"Are you just gonna stand at the door or are you gonna get in here?" Goten asked, opening his Teachers' Edition.  
  
Bra blinked. "Right," she replied, sounding as bored as she could.  
  
The study room was small. If more than two people entered there would be absolutely no elbow space, so the two who now occupied it had only a book separating them. Exhale........ She sat next to Goten and her knee touched his leg. Inhale..... She watched his hands as he turned to the first chapter. Exhale...  
  
| * | * | * |  
  
~after a while~  
  
Watching the words flow from his lips was absolutely intoxicating. Bra cherished his every syllable. He had a funny way of forming his words. As a matter of fact, he talked rather slowly, like his brain was mired in mud. He seemed to think carefully about the words he chose. Of course, when they were younger, he never thought about things before they would come hurriedly from his mouth.  
  
Having him so close to her for so long was more than she could bare. Everything about him made her innards dance.  
  
"I think it's time for a break," Bra said, standing and stretching. "Tell me something. I've known you most of my life, but I can't figure out where this history teacher thing came from."  
  
"My specialty in college was war. That was the only part I really enjoyed while I was there," Goten said. "Not the politics of war. It was the wars themselves I found interesting."  
  
It wasn't strange to her. He was a fighter. It actually made a lot more sense that way. Sure, he may have been pulled into the entire study of history, but he was getting something he liked out of it. "I should have known. Honestly, I didn't think college was even your thing. Gohan, sure. Trunks, yeah. But not you."  
  
Goten scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. It kinda bumped into me one day and I decided it was for the best."  
  
Strange choice of words. Even for Goten the History Teacher. "I'm glad you found something you like. You could have just been stuck there being miserable," Bra said.  
  
Goten nodded. "Come on. Let's finish this first chapter. I wanna spar with you later."  
  
"If you're so eager to die, we can fight now and I'll just finish studying on my own later," Bra replied. It was something her father would have said. Of course her father wasn't madly in love with the people he said that to, now was he? Then again, she'd heard him say even cruder things to her mother.  
  
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Bra. I have a confession to make," Goten began.  
  
Was there even the slightest chance that this man could be feeling what she's feeling now? Could the 24-year-old be experiencing the longing for the 16-year-old that she felt for him?  
  
"I brought you here for a reason and I fully intend to carry it out," Goten said. He turned completely to her. "Now, it's true that I chose you over the other students to tutor personally. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you know by now why that is."  
  
Her mind was reeling. It was true! The passion she felt for him all her life was not one-sided. He didn't care about their ages. Sure, he could face a prison sentence over her, but he was confessing his feelings for her here and now. And she would do the same.  
  
As a matter of fact, she was so overwhelmed by her feelings that she hadn't even realized that her lips were pressed firmly against Goten's. When had that happened? Thinking straight was no longer an option as she opened her mouth and tasted his. All her senses were dulled save taste. It was as she'd always imagined....  
  
Suddenly her sense of touch returned and she realized Goten had put his hands on her shoulders and...pushed her away? Bra's eyes sprang open to see a confused Goten.  
  
"Bra, what are you doing?" Goten asked.  
  
She lost her words so easily in his presence. There was nothing she could say. She had obviously misread something somewhere. Confusion and rejection was what she registered. But first there was the anger. And to think he still had his hands on her. She smacked the appendages away furiously and stood to leave.  
  
"Wait! We've gotta talk about this. Where did that come from?" Goten asked.  
  
She ignored him. There was nothing he could say to her that would make her stay there. His actions had spoken loudly enough. He wanted nothing to do with her. And so she fled. Surprisingly enough, she hadn't destroyed anything in her wake. She flew at the speed of sound, blinded by tears and unsure of where she would go. She knew that if he wanted to follow her, he would have. Evidently, he chose otherwise.  
  
~End Threadbare Tapestry Unwinding Slow~  
  
--Oh no! Things didn't turn out the way I expected. Will Bra's broken heart ever mend? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Versus.  
  
--Okay, so maybe there's not much to stay tuned for, but there will be another chapter. Then again, my reviewers may hate this chapter so much that they decide they don't want another chapter. The only way I'll find out is if you send in your reviews. Tell me what you think.  
  
--I always appreciate reviews. As a matter of fact, that's where I got the idea to have them kiss. (You know who you are. That one was just for you.) It may not have turned out the way it should have, but hey, I just write what comes to me at the time. I'm always open to suggestions. As a matter of fact, I'm using one of the other suggestions I received in the next chapter (just in a different way). So, thanks for the reviews.  
  
--Disclaimer.... 


	4. What's ULS?

Versus  
  
~What's ULS?~  
  
Her heart was a freight train racing through a dark tunnel only to find that the tracks had not been completed, sending it careening into a ravine and utterly annihilating it on contact. All that was left for her was to lie in her bed, hoping to waste away before the next day dawned. It was a little after 9:00 pm and she couldn't even recall where she'd gone after the library incident. All she knew now was that her body was extremely sore and she could barely move.  
  
Her mother had inquired as to her whereabouts, but Bra hadn't answered. The girl wouldn't acknowledge either of her parents. She'd just gone straight to her room.  
  
Now she lay on her bed with a faint sound pulsating in her ears in a very familiar pattern. Where was it coming from? The sound became louder and louder till she realized it was her private phone ringing. She wasn't sure why she had one of those. Probably some ploy devised by her mother to make her more sociable.  
  
The answering machine picked up. "Hey, this is Bra's line. Just leave a message," the machine said, replicating her voice exactly. Then came the irritating beep.  
  
"Bra, I've been calling you all night. I'm beginning to worry. If you're there, pick up.... Well, it's almost 11 now, so I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow," Pan's voice filled the room.  
  
Almost 11? Bra had lost over an hour of time somehow. Maybe she'd fallen asleep. She picked up the phone. "Pan?"  
  
Pan let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I felt your power go up really high this afternoon and I was wondering if you were okay."  
  
"I'm fine. It's no big deal," Bra lied.  
  
"Well, it dropped so suddenly," Pan continued. "I'm glad you're alright. You ARE alright, right?"  
  
The tears threatened to return, but Bra steadied her voice and said, "I'm fine," in her usual nonchalant tone.  
  
"No, it sounds like something's wrong. What is it?" Pan asked.  
  
Okay, so it wasn't her usual nonchalant tone. Didn't she have any more control than that? She decided against continuing since her voice would only reconfirm what Pan already assumed.  
  
"Bra, you can't keep things bottled up all the time. You're only made to contain so much before you crack," Pan said. "We're friends. You can talk to me."  
  
Who was SHE to say that she was keeping something bottled up? What made that low-class quarter-Saiyan think she even knew the half of what Bra was going through?  
  
"Is this about Goten?" Pan asked.  
  
....  
  
"You know, you've been acting weird ever since he came into the picture," Pan said.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Bra asked. "This has nothing to do with him."  
  
"Then tell me what it is," Pan demanded. "You'll feel better once it's out."  
  
"Pan, I'm really tired. So just save the psychology crap and leave me alone," Bra said. "I'm going to bed." She hung up the phone. There was no point in telling Pan what she had been through today. Her heart had taken on enough damage already. Why bring that ugliness back to the light?  
  
Well, at least she would remember the kiss. It had been sheer magic. It was a moment she'd never forget. Even now she could feel his lips on hers, their tongues interlaced in what could only be described as nirvana. The few moments they shared that kiss seemed like an eternity, yet it somehow still seemed much too short.  
  
And at that critical moment right before crossing the threshold of sleep, the question struck her. Had he kissed her back...?  
  
| * | * | * |  
  
~the next morning~  
  
So her request had not been granted. She had not wasted away in the night. So much for being careful what you wish for. Bra got out of bed feeling no better than she had the previous night. It made her sick that the sun would dare to shine so brightly on a day that she was feeling so miserable. But she knew that blowing it up would not make her pain go away.  
  
Bulma waited for her in the kitchen. Normally when Bra got ready for school, her mother would already be gone. Not today. It was time for yet another interrogation.  
  
"Bra, honey, I think I know what's going on," Bulma said before Bra had even entered the room.  
  
"You think?" Bra sassed back.  
  
Her mother ignored the attack. "There are only a few reasons for a girl to behave the way you have been recently."  
  
"Really," Bra noted sardonically.  
  
"Of course. And regardless of what you think, a mother always knows exactly what's going on with her children," Bulma said.  
  
Bra wordlessly looked at her mother with an expression that read, 'this is boring the life outta me.'  
  
"You're suffering from ULS," Bulma said rather matter-of-factly.  
  
"Excuse me?" Bra asked.  
  
"ULS. I should know. I've suffered from it a couple of times in my day. And believe me, you never forget the feeling," Bulma stated.  
  
"What's ULS?" Bra asked.  
  
"You don't know? Well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you don't have it," Bulma said. "Unrequited Love Syndrome. That'll get you feeling down every time."  
  
The anger resurfaced quickly. If she killed her now while her father was out training, he would never be the wiser. Pity. Her conscious wouldn't allow it. Besides, it would not change the past or the horrible truth—she was indeed suffering from this ULS.  
  
"By the look on your face, I must be right," Bulma said.  
  
Bra growled. Wow, when was the last time she did that? Had to be...never.  
  
"Dear, there's no reason to be angry. That's probably why this boy isn't responding to you," Bulma added. "He might find you intimidating."  
  
"You don't know anything. So just stay out of my business," Bra spat out. She stormed out of the front door. Now she was left to face the day alone with no good advice and the first person she would come into contact with was the cause of all her problems.  
  
~End What's ULS?~  
  
--Has anybody else noticed that Bra tends to lose a lot of time in this story? A few milliseconds or hours at a time. And she doesn't seem to have control over some of her actions. I wonder why that is. Personally, I think she's a little nuts. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter of Versus. Please review.  
  
--Thank you, past reviewers. You are my inspiration. I really appreciate all you've done for me. It almost brings a tear to my eye just knowing that SOMEONE out there actually finds what I do interesting.  
  
--And as always, I don't own the characters featured in any of the episodes of this story. As a matter of fact, I don't own much of anything except a bunch of CDs and two bass guitars. So suing me would be pointless. 


	5. Meddle

Versus  
  
~Meddle~  
  
Bra already knew that there would be turmoil once she entered his classroom. She'd gone to the office again for one last-ditch effort to get her class changed. Negative. Now she stood outside the door feeling a wave of nausea wash over her like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day. How could she face a man by whom she had been rejected? How could she face a man she had such strong feelings for?  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Goten stepped out. "Bra, I have to talk to you."  
  
Bra was startled. She didn't have to face him, for he was now facing her. She had no words for a circumstance such as this. There was nothing she could say as students brushed past her and entered the classroom. The bell rang.  
  
Goten frowned. "Well, it's gonna have to wait till after class. But I DO want to talk to you."  
  
Bra could only nod. Since when had she turned into such a timid little flower? Since she poured her entire being into one action and received a thumbs-down for the attempt. She watched him walk into the classroom and she followed, taking the seat she had yesterday.  
  
Watching her father over the years had prepared her for a lot of situations, but there was one thing she never understood. With the way he was, how could he keep his love life together? It was a side of him she had never seen, but obviously he was doing something to keep her mother around for so long. Asking him about it would not do. He just wasn't the talking type. Even if he WAS crazy about his little girl, he wouldn't talk to her about things like that.  
  
What other options did she have? She would not talk to her mother about it, even though that was probably the best choice. She refused to talk to Pan about it. Not about her feelings for her uncle. That would be senseless. Could she possibly talk to her brother about this? No. Goten was his best friend and roommate. That was just plain silly. Not to mention that her brother never really took her seriously anyway....  
  
"BRA!!" Pan's voice shredded through Bra's thoughts.  
  
She turned to the black-haired girl. "What?" Not a very kind tone to take with a person who wanted nothing more than to help.  
  
"I know you're probably going to yell at me for this, but I talked to Marron about the way you've been behaving lately and how you went missing," Pan began.  
  
What? What made her go off and talk to HER? For one thing, she'd only been acting strangely for one day. Everybody was in a panic over one day of out-of-the-ordinary behavior in a person. Heaven forbid anything else be wrong. Hiccups, a head cold, PMS. But talking to Marron was really uncalled for.  
  
Bra just gave Pan a very annoyed look.  
  
"And she was saying that we should all go out," Pan continued. "Just the girls."  
  
"Why would Marron wanna hang out with a couple of high-schoolers?" Bra asked.  
  
"We're all like sisters, Bra. We all grew up together. Or don't you remember?" Pan said.  
  
They had all—Pan, Bra, Marron, Trunks and Goten—hung out together when they were younger. Some were much older than others, but they stuck together like family. Of course, when they were younger it was easy to tell that Bra had her favorite and Goten had his. When the boys got older they would baby-sit the girls and even let them roughhouse a bit (or at least Bra and Pan).  
  
"Come on, Bra. It'll be fun. And it'll get you out of this funk you've been in recently," Pan insisted.  
  
"Hmph. Fine," Bra replied. She really had no interest in going out. She had no interest in being around anyone. She especially did not want to see Marron.  
  
Marron was a pretty-girl type. She was everything that Bra despised in a woman. If she broke a nail, she would weep. If she ate anything it would be in small nibbles. If her hair were disheveled in the wind, she would go into a state of shock. Anytime she talked, she used overly dramatic gesticulations. And she laughed about everything. Her name, as far as Bra was concerned, was Moron.  
  
"Good," Pan interrupted. "We'll all do something together tonight."  
  
"It's the middle of the week. Can't it wait until the weekend?" Bra suggested, dreading the mere thought of seeing the prim and proper priss.  
  
"Bra, you're feeling bad today. You should go out today," Pan rationalized.  
  
"What makes you think I'm feeling bad?" Bra defended.  
  
"That's enough talking in the back," Goten said after he'd finished writing his notes on the board. "It's time we begin Chapter 1. We will start with the Battle of the Allia. Why start here, you ask? Because before I talk about the multiple Roman victories, I would like to discuss a major defeat of Rome...."  
  
| * | * | * |  
  
~at the end of class~  
  
The bell rang as Goten was ending his lecture. "So, in conclusion I'll say this: Sometimes it is good to have the enemy outnumbered, but that's not always the case. We'll finish talking about Chapter 1 tomorrow."  
  
Bra's heart was beating at a phenomenal speed when the other students started leaving. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as she heard each student shove books into their backpacks. She tried to control her breathing and prepare herself for what Goten could possibly say to her.  
  
"Hey, Bra, aren't you gonna move?" Pan asked as she packed her things to go to her next class.  
  
"Yeah. I just have to soak up all this Roman stuff," Bra relayed falsely. "I'll catch up with you later."  
  
Pan raised an eyebrow. "Alright." She walked out of the classroom, almost running head on into someone entering.  
  
Bra sat up straight in her desk, turned back toward Goten and took a deep breath. Whatever he had to say to her must have been important, because he took his time erasing the board. The white dress shirt he wore today was a little long at the sleeves and fell over his hands a bit. It was cute, to say the least. It reminded her of when they were kids and he wore that blue long sleeved shirt under his gi.  
  
"Hi, Goten," someone from behind Bra said.  
  
Both Goten and Bra turned to see who had spoken. It was a red-haired woman, who Bra had noticed coming in earlier. And she seemed to know Goten.  
  
"Paris. Hi," Goten said, a little feebly.  
  
The woman, apparently named Paris, sauntered over to Goten, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.  
  
There was a feeling in Bra's chest. A very familiar feeling. It was like everything inside her had been slowly compressed. It was the same feeling she had yesterday when Goten pushed her away from him after kissing him. And now it was obvious why he turned down her unspoken offer to be his. Someone else, this redhead, already was.  
  
~End Meddle~  
  
--Well, now. That is an obvious turn of events. Just when Bra's thinking she's going to talk to Goten about the kiss they shared, her heart is shattered a second time. Will things ever get better for poor Bra, or will she be forced to go off the deep end? Find out in the next episode of Versus.  
  
--I apologize for this chapter. My mood lately has been a little less than pleasant and I did this chapter during a bad time. Of course, I said that there would be a little something that a reviewer suggested except in a different way. Well, here it is (even though it's not where I said it would be). Goten has a girlfriend and it's that chic from GT. Ain't that just peachy?  
  
--Thank you for reading this installment of Versus. I know there was a bit of a wait for this part, but I hope you liked it. Now, someone please tell me what genre this goes into. Is it romance or drama or what? Let me know.  
  
--I refuse to go through that disclaimer thing in this chapter. I won't. It's too much of a bother. Besides, we all know I don't own these characters. With my writing skills, I couldn't own a hill of beans. 


	6. I Count Your Eyelashes Secretly

Versus  
  
~I Count Your Eyelashes Secretly~  
  
She'd left the classroom without a word to Goten. Like he cared. All his attention had gone to the sparkly little redhead. The woman had littered his face with kisses. As a matter of fact, it was the last thing Bra had seen before she made her unannounced exit.  
  
Now, with what was left of her heart, she slinked out of the classroom. Her mind was in a whirlwind. Her body was hot with anger. Her bottom teeth ground incessantly and uncontrollably against the top. Her muscles were tensed and her fists were clinched so hard that her knuckles had turned a dismal shade of white. Yet, she had kept her cool. She hadn't said a word. She hadn't made a scene. She hadn't instigated a fight. All she did was walk away. And that was something not even her father would have done.  
  
The rest of Bra's day went by in a dark gray haze. None of her teachers spoke to her in a language she could understand or would understand. Their lips moved, but she could not hear what they were saying. Devoid of any hope of retaining information, she just sat in all of her classes without saying so much as a 'here' when they did role call.  
  
Pan had even tried talking to her, but she got as much of a response as the teachers did. She'd tried asking what was wrong, but it was no use.  
  
When her last class was dismissed, Bra walked slowly down the hall of the nearly vacant school. Her locker seemed miles away and she could make out a figure standing next to it. As she drew nearer, she could make out that it was a man. A man wearing a white shirt. It was Goten, and he was trying to say something to her. What was he trying to say? She walked over closer and watched his lips move. Why couldn't she understand the muffled sound that so distantly came through?  
  
Suddenly, she was able to register sound again and Goten's words finally pierced her ears.  
  
"—study together," was the only part Bra had heard.  
  
The dark gray mist that had overcast her sight finally lifted. "Hm?" she asked. She was still quite overwhelmed by his presence.  
  
"I said that there have been some strange things going on lately, but I was wondering if you still wanted to study together," he said slowly, almost timidly.  
  
Now surely he knew her feelings for him after she kissed him the other day. That was a given. And he had to know that she'd seen the redhead kiss him after class today. So why would this guy ask her to study with him when she was pretty much...mad as hell? That was the funny thing about the Son boys. They could basically feel people's feelings, but they never had any idea of the origins of such feelings. A bit naive, but at the same time, it was charming.  
  
It was impossible for her to stay mad at him. She really had no reason to be. It was that redhead she was up against, not this sweet young man before her. Who knows? Maybe he'd put everything that happened yesterday behind him.  
  
"....Okay," Bra said calmly.  
  
Goten then smiled a smile that sent a jolt to her, jump-starting her heart. And for the first time in a long time, she smiled.  
  
| * | * | * |  
  
~another study session~  
  
It was one thing to be a masochist, but what Bra was putting herself through now was just suicide. She sat in the same library, in the same room, in the same chair, and beside her was the same man. Why?  
  
She looked over at Goten and saw that there was something on his mind. His whole attitude seemed much different than when they first walked into the room.  
  
Neither of them spoke for a long time. As a matter of fact, neither of them even moved. The deafening silence was beyond anything she had ever imagined. What was on his mind? Was he thinking about their first meeting between the four walls that confined them once again? Would she be forced to relive the suffering she'd acquired here only yesterday?  
  
"I wanted to talk to you about what happened here yesterday," Goten finally spoke.  
  
And there it was. The moment she had come to dread was at hand. At the time she knew not what to make of her feelings. On one hand, she wanted to do again what she had done the day before; but on the other hand, she wanted to strangle the life out of him. So what does a descendant of the great Prince Vegeta do in a situation like this?  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." That was it. End it there and the subject would never be mentioned again. Bra had made her stand. She'd said what she came there to say and now he had to deal with it.  
  
"Well, I do," Goten countered.  
  
Ah, her words were not as strong against this one. He was a Saiyan. He was a Son. More importantly, he was the owner of her lonely heart.  
  
"Sometimes people think they feel things they don't really feel," Goten began.  
  
That was NOT the way to start this conversation. Not after the hell she'd been through over the past couple of days. It was only a matter of time before her anger detonated in a raging storm of aggression. And then, not even HE would be immune to her wrath.  
  
"Now, I can usually get a good handle on my feelings," Goten continued very slowly, "but this time I think I'm really stomped."  
  
What was he saying? Was he trying to tell her that he felt the same way about her? No! She would not put herself through this kind of torture again. Even if he DID feel that way, he undoubtedly HAD a girlfriend already.  
  
"I don't see why," Bra said, not looking at him. "It was just a spur of the moment action. It didn't mean anything."  
  
Goten was silent for a while. "Oh...I see."  
  
Bra looked over at him. It was hard for her to read into what he was feeling. Her family didn't really have that gift. She had a hard time reading facial expressions, let alone feeling for someone's emotions. But there was definitely something in his face. She just couldn't figure out what.  
  
Then came the usual Son smile. "Well now! Why don't we get to your studies? I mean, that IS what we came here for, right?"  
  
She was really confused now. Everything about this man confused her. What had he been trying to say to her? Had she made a mistake by not letting him continue?  
  
Now he flipped through his Teachers' Edition. He hadn't looked back at her. He just studied the book. Bra sat engrossed in the motion of his hands as they followed the words on the page. Once again he had started talking, but the words were just a slow jumble of random babble to her. She nodded every now and again, but he never looked back at her. It was like he was talking to the wall, and he may as well have been because she heard none of his words.  
  
"Mind if I ask you a question?" Bra interrupted before she was even aware of her own voice saying the words.  
  
Goten finally looked at her. "What is it?"  
  
"Who was that girl who came to see you after class today?" Bra asked involuntarily. There was no way for her to stop the question from coming out of her mouth. And now it was out. All that was left was to wait for an answer.  
  
He frowned. Not the reaction she had expected. "We dated in college. She was the reason I started taking history classes."  
  
Ah ha. The truth was out. The whole reason he went into the study of history was because of a girl. Should have known. Back to rekindle the old flame, huh? Well, Bra would see to it that it did not happen.  
  
~End I Count Your Eyelashes Secretly~  
  
--What in the world was that? If there was a chance for Bra to find out Goten's feelings, it was then. That crazy girl stopped him. What's wrong with her?  
  
--Thank you for reading the story that gets more and more ridiculous by the minute. Hey, give me a chance. It may seem strange now, but I'm sure it'll make sense in the longrun (at least I hope). Thank you for your patience. 


	7. The Battle Begins

Versus  
  
--The Battle Begins--  
  
"Alright. That's over. Now we can finally get to sparring," Goten said.  
  
Ah. Hearing him say that reminded her of the old days. He was obviously excited. The two had just finished a two-hour history session and Bra's mind hadn't digested anything except Goten's facial features. So maybe sparring wasn't a bad idea. She wasn't sure how her concentration would be, but it would probably hold her attention longer than history would.  
  
"You mean your obliteration, right?" Bra said. She shoved her books into her bag and stood. "My place or yours?"  
  
"You're gonna fight in that?" Goten asked, studying the outfit Bra wore.  
  
It was a pale pink short-sleeved sweater, a pair of hip huggers and a pair of cute little zip-up boots. In other words, it wasn't an outfit one would fight in. So, she'd have to change clothes.  
  
Bra shrugged. "Okay. We can go to my house first and then we'll get down to business."  
  
"Let's go, then," Goten replied.  
  
With that they exited the library. It was amazing that even after they'd had such a strange day and an even stranger study session, they would be willing to see each other. To Bra it was a little uncomfortable, but Goten didn't seem to mind at all. So she would have to go with the flow (at least until something else strange happened).  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--at Capsule Corp--  
  
"Hi!" Goten said to Bulma as he entered.  
  
Bulma turned toward the doorway where Goten and Bra stood. "Goten! Every time I look at you, it's like looking at your father." She walked over and hugged him. "I didn't really get a chance to talk to you the other day at the gathering. Come in. Sit down. Would you like anything?"  
  
"Mom...," Bra said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"No thanks, Mrs. B.," Goten said. He went over and sat in a chair.  
  
"So, how's Bra been doing in your class? Are you helping her like I asked?" Bulma asked.  
  
Hold it! Her mother had asked Goten to help her? She remembered him saying something strange to her that first day they studied together.  
  
- & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & -  
  
"I brought you here for a reason and I fully intend to carry it out," Goten had said. "Now, it's true that I chose you over the other students to tutor personally. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you know by now why that is."  
  
- & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & -  
  
Bra's mind clicked back into the present. So her mother had asked him to help her. That's why he insisted that they continue today. That was the ONLY reason. As a favor to her mother....  
  
"Yeah," Goten responded to Bulma's question. "She's doing great."  
  
Now that was a lie. There was no proof that she was doing great. She hadn't responded to him at all in either of those study sessions, really.  
  
At that moment, the man of the house entered the room. When in public, people would cower in his presence. Not here.  
  
"Hi, Vegeta," Goten said.  
  
Bra knew her father hated that. No one in the Son family line feared him.  
  
"Woman, what is Kakarot's youngest brat doing here?" Vegeta asked Bulma.  
  
Bulma shrugged. "Can't he come over and visit his friends?"  
  
"He lives with the friend he had here. So I don't want to see him," Vegeta retorted, giving Goten one of his more menacing looks. "Especially with her."  
  
What was her father trying to say? He knew that Goten was the only person she'd hang with other than Pan.  
  
"What? Are you afraid he's gonna take your daughter away or something? Relax," Bulma argued.  
  
"The rest of you may be blind, but I'm no fool," Vegeta said, ending it there. He went into the kitchen.  
  
What a strange statement. What was he getting at? Her father had always been...an eccentric man, but this kind of behavior was just perplexing.  
  
"Argh! I don't know why I put up with him!" Bulma groaned.  
  
"Don't let him get under your skin, Mrs. B," Goten said. Cheerful, as usual. Could anything get this guy down?  
  
Bra looked at the ceiling. "I'll just go get dressed now." She was about to head to her room when her mother stopped her.  
  
"Get dressed?" Bulma asked. "What's up?"  
  
Oh yeah. Nosey mother. If she didn't make up some cleaver lie, surely Goten would end up telling her what they were up to.  
  
"We're going swimming. I'm supposed to meet Pan and Marron later to go swimming," Bra said, giving Goten a 'back me up on this' look.  
  
At first Goten just gave her a blank look, then it looked like a light was turned on in his head. "We're going to meet them now," he recovered, talking even slower than usual.  
  
"Oh. Sounds like fun. Well, I'm gonna meet with some system boards in the lab. You guys have fun," Bulma said. Thankfully, when she went into the lab it was always hours before she reemerged.  
  
"Hey, thanks," Bra said to Goten. "I'll be out in a minute." With that, she darted to her room and changed into a red spandex outfit like her father wore in training. When she came back, Goten stood up and gave her a strange look. "What?" she asked. "You coming or not?"  
  
Goten smiled his usual smile. "Let's go."  
  
What was with that weird look on his face? As she walked in front of him, she got a funny feeling. Like someone was watching her. Maybe she was just imagining things. It was precisely the kind of interest she wanted from him. Unfortunately, she'd been wrong about everything else. Why should this time be any different?  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--at Goten and Trunks' place--  
  
The apartment complex was luxurious. Of course it would be. Trunks wasn't about to live in anything substandard. Then again, this was well above standard living. She just thought that Goten would go for something much simpler.  
  
"Welcome. You've got a real problem about standing in doorways. Come in," Goten said playfully.  
  
Bra couldn't help smiling a little. She entered the apartment. She couldn't believe two men—two bachelors in their twenties— lived here. It was surprisingly neat.  
  
"Wow. What a place," Bra said.  
  
"Hey, Goten, did you get that ratchet I asked you to pick up?!" Trunks called from another room.  
  
"Watch this," Goten whispered to Bra. He tiptoed over to the closed bedroom door and kicked it down. "Ha ha haaaa!! I gotcha that time!!"  
  
A ki blast came out of the bedroom and knocked Goten down.  
  
"Okay, so you were ready that time," Goten coughed.  
  
Trunks came out of the bedroom and put his foot on Goten's chest. "That'll teach ya. Did you get my ratchet?"  
  
"I forgot," Goten laughed. "Get your foot off me."  
  
It was nice to see that even after all this time, the two were still the same ridiculous jerks they were before (not meaning that in a bad way, of course). Some things never changed.  
  
"Bra? What are you doing here?" Trunks asked, walking over to her. Goten went off to the kitchen.  
  
"Good to see you too," Bra said, blandly.  
  
"You little spy. I bet Mom sent you over here to see what I was doing. Didn't she?" Trunks asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Bra folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. "I am no one's errand girl. I came to spar with Goten."  
  
"You would," Trunks said. "What IS it with you two? You've always been like this. If you're not around each other, you're talking about each other."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Bra said. She knew for a fact that she avoided even bringing up Goten's name during the time he was missing from her life.  
  
"That guy has been talking about you and asking about you ever since we started living together," Trunks said. "I told him all he had to do was go visit to see how you were doing."  
  
Bra blushed a little. She wasn't sure how to take this information. She was obviously on his mind a lot. But in what way?  
  
Goten returned, dressed in his father's orange gi and that famous long-sleeved shirt. "You know your dad doesn't like me," he said. He had undoubtedly heard their conversation.  
  
"That never stopped you before. Since when did you all of a sudden start caring about what Dad thinks about you?" Trunks questioned.  
  
Goten ignored him. "Come on, Bra. I know this great place to spar. We can go all out if we want."  
  
That was all she needed. Fighting without bounds. There was no limit to the skills she could show off and she definitely intended to impress him with her moves.  
  
--End The Battle Begins--  
  
--Bra has been confused beyond repair. So, what's the next logical step? Take out your frustrations in the ring? Actually, that's not a very good idea. Someone could get hurt in a situation like this. Sure, if Bra just came out and said the things she really felt, life would be easier. But that's not the way she operates in MY story. And you never know what's gonna happen on any given day. So please stay tuned for the next episode.  
  
--Thank you for reading this episode of Versus. Thank you for the reviews. Please keep them coming. It's the only way to know whether I should keep this story going.  
  
--Welcome to the disclaimer section. News flash!!!: You got disclaimers in previous chapters, so you won't get one here. 


	8. Part 8: Flash Back

Versus  
  
--Part 8: Flash Back--  
  
"Everyone has a different type of motivation to go to that next level," a 17-year-old Goten said. "For some it's anger. For some it's the desire to help your friends. And for some it's being overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions. You just have to find your own personal motivation to make it to that level."  
  
The 9-year-old Bra stood tense, concentrating on her goal—to go Super Saiyan. She'd cleared her mind like he said, or at least for the most part. But she had a hard time locking into that emotion, the motivation she needed for her transition. She had the desire, but she lacked the key to unlock the door that had remained closed to her for so long. She could feel herself becoming light-headed. Maybe this was the beginning....  
  
"Bra, you have to breathe too," Goten said. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Breathe!"  
  
She inhaled sharply. Her head was spinning from lack of oxygen. How long had she been standing there holding her breath? She collapsed in her trainer's arms, weak with exhaustion. She had failed him once again.  
  
"Maybe...maybe I'm just not strong enough," Bra suggested in a small voice. She just lay there in his arms as they sat on the ground.  
  
"Believe me, you're strong enough. You're almost strong enough to be at level 2. There's just something keeping you from locking into that motivation," Goten told her, holding her and brushing the hair out of her face. "And it's nothing someone can tell you. It's just something you'll have to figure out on your own."  
  
Bra frowned. She'd been trying to go Super Saiyan off and on for two years now and she still couldn't do it. Maybe she was never meant to possess such an ability.  
  
Then she looked up into those eyes—those big hopeful eyes of his. Eyes that if she stared into them long enough time would stand still. And she saw that he believed in her. Everything that she wished to accomplish, she saw in his eyes. He wished for her to accomplish it too.  
  
Bra blushed and averted her eyes.  
  
"Come on," Goten said, helping the blossoming preteen to her feet. "Now I want you to pay attention to me while I do it. Don't just watch. Feel what happens. I'll do it as slowly as I can. I'm gonna need for all your senses to be open. Feel it, see it, hear it, touch it, smell it, taste it." He stood back from her. "Put everything you have into perceiving my change. Think you can do that?"  
  
Focusing on him was no problem. She always focused on him, just not this intensely. This was the perfect excuse to admire everything about him, his abilities AND his physique. Bra nodded slowly, then got into observation mode.  
  
"Okay," Goten said, taking a deep breath. "Here I go." He closed his eyes.  
  
First she felt for his energy. It was low and calm, but there was something else about it that felt different. It was like the outwardly calm ocean while a swarm of sharks stalked quite near the surface. It made her feel a little uneasy as those sharks drew nearer to the surface, yet there was no ripple in the calm waters. Had anyone just scanned for his power regularly, they'd have no idea how strong this young man was about to become.  
  
Looking at him, she could barely see that there was a difference, but there was one. Not in his body. His muscles were relaxed as he stood with his arms down by his sides and his eyes closed. Yet there was something different. Maybe he was a little too relaxed. She could hear that his breathing was even and also calm.  
  
It was easy to tell that something was about to happen by the atmosphere around her. The air had become much more dense. It was like he was collecting all the air particles around both of them. And even though the pressure made it hard to breathe, his inhalations and exhalations remained the same.  
  
But what of smell and taste? What had he meant by opening those senses? Suddenly there was another dramatic change in the atmosphere around her. This time the air became much thinner and her body began feeling lighter. Then came the smell. This was what he had meant. It was almost time for the complete transformation. That smell! Only a person with Saiyan blood would have been able to detect this attribute. It was an utterly unexplainable smell, and when she opened her mouth to catch her breath, there was the taste, identical to the smell. How could she describe it? Salt was the first thing that came to her mind. Salt and something else.... Candle wax. Salt and candle wax. That was the only way to describe the smell and taste she'd picked up during this grand alteration.  
  
Her heart pounded viciously in her chest as she watched his hair slowly flicker between black and gold. A gold aura began to form so close to her, she couldn't believe it. Now, Goten's transformation was complete. His blond hair stood atop his head, his golden aura flared impressively around him, and he slowly opened his eyes to reveal a new color—green.  
  
Goten's aura quickly dissipated and he gave Bra a completely astounded look. He sat where he stood, still in Super Saiyan form.  
  
"What happened? Did you over-exert yourself?" Bra asked.  
  
Goten seemed speechless at the time. He must have used too much energy transforming so slowly.  
  
Bra went over and kneeled next to him. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Am I okay? I should be asking if YOU'RE okay," Goten said. "I don't believe it."  
  
What was he babbling about? Sure, she'd never seen him go Super Saiyan in slow motion before, but there was no need to panic over what she'd seen.  
  
"You don't even know," Goten muttered. "I don't believe this. Bra, you're a Super Saiyan. You did it."  
  
What?!! She DID feel different. But it made no sense. How could she have transformed into a Super Saiyan without even trying? What was her trigger? She was about to move her hair behind her ear when she noticed it was all standing pretty much straight up. She pulled some of it into her line of sight and saw that it truly was blond. It was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.  
  
--End Part 8: Flash Back--  
  
--That's it. Now, some of you may be wondering why I did this. I don't know myself. I just felt like doing it. Yeah, it was short. Hope you liked it. Please read and review.  
  
--I don't really have much else to say today. As always, thanks for past reviews. Just let me know if you want another chapter and I'll cook something up. 


	9. I’m Small But I’m Strong

Versus  
  
--I'm Small But I'm Strong--  
  
To anyone on the outside looking in, it was simply unfair to ask this 5'1" teenage girl to fight a man a full foot taller than her and double her size to boot. But Bra would have it no other way. She stood in front of her opponent, her trainer, her partner, her teacher. The area he had chosen for them was perfect. It was a deserted wasteland that stretched out for miles around. No signs of life.  
  
Goten bowed to Bra. "I'm warning you. When I said we could go all out, I was serious."  
  
"Don't hold anything back on my account. A mistake like that is bound to be your last," Bra said, bowing to him as well. She leapt back from Goten and immediately powered up to Super Saiyan level 2.  
  
"Wow. You ascended while I was away," Goten said. He did the same. "Now, let's see what you can do with it."  
  
Before he was even done talking, Bra had taken the opportunity to blast over to Goten and kick him into the air. She jetted up to his level and wailed on him with a barrage of punches and kicks.  
  
Goten came to his senses and began blocking her attacks, then started in with some combinations of his own. One of Bra's punches collided with one of Goten's, sending a burst of energy outward and knocking the two back a bit.  
  
They levitated in the air just looking at each other for a moment. They were both breathing and sweating pretty hard from the first round, but this battle was far from being over.  
  
The two resumed simultaneously, attempting to pommel each other with a wide array of physical attacks. The blitzkrieg continued for a long time, both of them employing well-placed blocks on the other's assaults.  
  
Goten finally came in with a punch to the stomach. Bra was caught unawares and barely had enough time to grab his hand. She gripped him by the wrist, spinned him around and launched him off into the sunset. Without delay, she followed by holding her arm straight out and opening her hand to his gradually receding silhouette. "BIG BANG ATTACK!!"  
  
The blast was a massive stream of light intended to destroy anything in its path. She knew that technique would do some major damage. If Goten didn't survive it, she wasn't sure what she would do. 'Never let your feelings cloud your judgment in a fight,' she remembered her father telling her when he taught her the technique. She'd tried to live her whole life by that rule. And as she floated there with her arm still outstretched, she knew what her feelings were. The man she was well on her way to killing was the only man she had ever and would ever love.  
  
Love. She knew that was what it was. But if you've never been in love, how do you know what it feels like?  
  
In the blink of an eye, Goten reappeared in front of her and shoved his knee into her abdomen with great force. Before Bra was able to cough out the wind that was knocked out of her, Goten delivered an elbow to her back and sent her hurtling toward the earth. She recovered in enough time to avoid contact with the ground. She stopped herself dead in her tracks about an inch above the ground and hovered there for a moment to catch her breath.  
  
"KAAAAMEEEEHAAAAMEEEE—" Goten shouted in the trademark pose above Bra. "HAAAAAAAA!!!!" He sent his blinding attack straight down to where Bra hovered.  
  
Bra phased out of sight and reappeared next to Goten. She punched him in the face with all her strength, sending him at least 20 feet away.  
  
A little blood ran down the corner of Goten's mouth. He wiped it away, a strange smirk on his face. "You sure do pack a wallop. When did you start hitting so hard?"  
  
Bra smirked back at him. "I trained on my strength as well as my technique. I can demonstrate it again, if you'd like." She had gotten what she wanted. He was impressed.  
  
Goten powered back down to his regular form. "Not right this minute. Let's take a break." He floated down to the ground and sat where he landed.  
  
Bra looked confused. She was just getting warmed up. Usually SHE wanted a break before he did. She sat in front of him Indian style and watched him. They were both obviously exhausted. Both were dripping with sweat and breathing like they had just finished running 1000 miles nonstop. But that didn't usually stop him. She watched as his chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. He had leaned his head back, perhaps to look at the clouds. She had no interest in the sky. She only watched him. Damn her infernal hormones.  
  
Now he moistened his lips with his tongue. The very tongue she had tasted only yesterday. The tongue she could only wish would meet hers again. She remembered the moment their lips met. What she wouldn't give to have it happen again.  
  
Then he looked at her. His eyes met hers and she became lost in them.  
  
"You know, Bra," Goten began. "We haven't just hung out together in a long time." He gave her that smile of his. "You know, fighting's okay, but we should go out and do regular stuff too."  
  
She could swear something in his eyes had changed. Was he asking her out on a date? No, no, no. This grown man wouldn't ask her to go out on a date with him.  
  
"Kinda like a, you know..., date," Goten added. By this time, he was playing with the sand, studying it.  
  
'Excuse me?' she wanted to ask. Where on earth had that come from? He was asking her out out of nowhere. And this whole time she thought he didn't share in her feelings. He really did.  
  
"You know, friends go on dates all the time," Goten continued.  
  
D'OOOOHH!!  
  
"And you and I going out would be like you and Pan going out," Goten said. "Except I'm more fun."  
  
Wait!! Her and Pan going out? She was supposed to meet Marron and Pan this afternoon to go out. She frowned.  
  
"What's wrong?" Goten asked.  
  
"I was supposed to go out with Pan and Marron today," Bra informed.  
  
"Oh.... Cool.... Can I come?" Goten asked.  
  
"Well, it's supposed to be just the girls," Bra started.  
  
"I can be one of the girls," Goten said in a girly voice. He smiled and batted his eyelashes. "I just got my nails done. Aren't they pretty?" He presented his hand to her. "Come on, let's go to the mall." He placed his hands on his lap neatly. "Wow. Those guys over there are to DIE for!" He put his hands on his cheeks.  
  
Bra broke into a heartfelt laugh. It felt great to laugh like that again. He was the only person who could make her laugh like that. "Okay, okay. You can come."  
  
Goten jumped up and clasped his hands together. "Yay!" he cheered in his girly voice.  
  
Having him come along wouldn't be so bad. It would be Goten and the girls. Sure, he was the reason she was stuck going out with those chatty little hens, but at least she had a better chance of having fun with him around.  
  
--End I'm Small But I'm Strong--  
  
--This is the part where I'll really need some advice. As you can see, there's a little fighting scene in this chapter. How can I improve on stuff like that? I'm not very experienced in writing action sequences. This is my first one. So let me know what you think. Please review.  
  
--Bra has come to the realization that she is definitely in love. What will she do? Will she act on this discovery? Or are there more trials ahead? Find out in the next episode of Versus. 


	10. That’s Not the Last of It or the Worst P...

Versus  
  
--That's Not the Last of It or the Worst Part--  
  
The two had parted and gone their separate ways for the time being. She was continually befuddled, yet she was constantly in his presence. Why had she agreed to let a man join in on girls' night out? She would never hear the end of it. Not from Pan and definitely not from Marron.  
  
Thank goodness her mother wasn't around when Bra walked into the house. She was still in the lab and her dad was out training somewhere. She had free reign of the house. Now all she had to do was figure out what to wear. Oh no! She was turning out to be her own worst enemy! What more could go wrong today?  
  
She decided to put on a long black skirt and a white blouse that barely touched her waistband. Ah, she was comfortable. She put her hair up in sticks and put on a big pair of black work boots. She liked making outfits that made people give her funny looks. That way, she'd have an excuse to start a riot or go home early. She put on a silver bracelet. She rarely wore jewelry, but she thought that one thin bracelet wouldn't hurt. She put her house key in the pocket of her skirt and left.  
  
Curfew on weeknights was 10:30. It was 7:30 when she landed in front of Trunks and Goten's door. Knock knock.  
  
Goten opened the door. "Oh, hey. Come on in."  
  
Yeah, he was hot. All he had on was a white muscle shirt, loose fitting blue jeans and a pair of black and white sneakers. Bra just wanted to stand at the door and drool, but that would have been out of line.  
  
"Doorways," was all Goten said.  
  
She'd lingered there too long. He took Bra's hand and pulled her inside.  
  
"Alright. We've got a slight problem," Goten began.  
  
He was soon interrupted by Trunks entering the room dressed like he was going somewhere. Things just went from bad to worse.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
"Well, this is a nice little reunion. I thought it was gonna be just the girls," Marron said, driving the group around in her new red convertible capsule car.  
  
Grrrrr. She hated this girl so much. She complained about everything. BRA should be the one complaining. While Marron and Pan sat in the front seat, SHE was stuck between her idiot brother and the man she loved. Small car. Much too small. And on top of that, Marron couldn't drive worth a can of hash, so at every turn Bra was either crushed against Goten with Trunks on top of her or crushed against Trunks with Goten on top of her. Talk about your sardine situation.  
  
"It's no big deal, Mar," Pan said. "The more the merrier, right guys?"  
  
"Right," the wonder twins chimed from the back seat. Ah, how the uninvited respond.  
  
"Where are we going anyway? It's 8:00 and I have to be home by 10:30," Bra said.  
  
"Relax. We've got everything covered," Marron blew her off.  
  
Why that flamboyant little floozy—  
  
"You know, Uncle Goten, I noticed something when we were in class the other day," Pan said out of the blue. "Every girl in that class is crazy on you."  
  
"What are you talking about, Pan?" Goten asked.  
  
This was new information to Bra. She never noticed it because she always paid attention to him. Could every single girl in her class have a crush on Goten? It wasn't hard to believe. He was definitely hot. Her own feelings for him had blinded her to the fact that everybody else in the class wanted him too. Things were swiftly taking a turn for the worst.  
  
"I'm talking about the fact that those girls stare at you like you're a piece of meat," Pan told him.  
  
Bra blushed.  
  
"The only few people who don't are the guys, Bra, and me" Pan continued.  
  
Ah, how convenient. Bra sat directly in front of Pan, so she couldn't tell if she stared at him all day or not. Perfect.  
  
"And I think the new school counselor who came in yesterday after class has a thing for you too," Pan said. "She looks about your age. You two should hook up."  
  
Bra's eye twitched. The redhead? She was their new school counselor? Her life had just gotten a WHOLE lot worse.  
  
Goten gave Pan a strange look. "You're weirding me out, Pan. Why are you all of a sudden so obsessed with my love life?"  
  
"Cause you're single, and you must be pretty lonely if you wanna hang out with a couple of high school girls," Pan answered.  
  
"Well, what about Trunks?" Goten kind of whined. "He's in the same shoes I'm in."  
  
"Leave me outta this," Trunks said.  
  
Marron laughed. "Looks like you're on your own, Goten. Not even your best friend wants in on this."  
  
Oh, shut up, you no-wit ninny.  
  
Marron pulled into the parking lot at the mall.  
  
"This isn't about Trunks. This is about my uncle," Pan said.  
  
"But he—" Goten began.  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaa. Whatever," Pan cut him off. They all got out of the car and began the long walk to the mall entrance.  
  
"Now, Bra. You're the reason we're all gathered here today. What's been your deal lately?" Pan asked.  
  
What was she? The investigative reporter? Bra straightened her shirt. "Nothing."  
  
"Don't give me that. I've known you long enough to know when something's wrong. And something's wrong. So out with it," Pan said.  
  
Bra was about to defend against Pan's allegations when her knight in shining armor stepped in. Literally.  
  
Goten had walked over to Bra and put his arm around her. "Hey, leave her alone. Maybe she doesn't wanna talk about it."  
  
Bra felt weak in the knees. Why had her hero come to her rescue? Was it because he knew that HE was the author of her sorrow? She couldn't be sure. This guy could sometimes be a real airhead.  
  
He looked at her and gave her that famous smile. Wow, he was really looking good today. Bra blushed.  
  
"She never wants to talk about it," Pan said.  
  
Marron folded her arms across her chest. "What a waste of time. You knew she wasn't gonna talk anyway. Let's just do some shopping."  
  
Goten's stomach let out a loud rumble. "Oh, boy. Hey, can we grab a bite to eat first?"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "I knew he wouldn't go very long without food."  
  
Bra just smiled. Nope, he hadn't changed a bit. And she was worried that if he became a teacher, he'd end up being all serious and stuff. She should have known better.  
  
"I'm kinda hungry too," Trunks added.  
  
"Hey, I've got an idea," Marron started.  
  
What are the chances?  
  
"Why don't YOU guys chill in the food court while WE do a little pre- shopping shopping," Marron appended.  
  
Pre-shopping shopping. What a bore.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--soon--  
  
Needless to say, the guys went to the food court and it was time for the ladies to look around for various clothes and shoes. Bra would rather look for games and music. She lagged behind as Pan and Marron walked arm- in-arm around one of the many shoe stores.  
  
Hm. Interesting....  
  
"Come here, Bra," Pan beckoned. "Take a look at these." She pointed at a cute pair of tie-dye high heeled sandals.  
  
"They're adorable. But I only have, like, one outfit to wear them with," Marron said.  
  
"It would be worth it," Pan assured her with a smile.  
  
Pan wasn't usually this interested in clothes. She grew up fighting like Bra did. As a matter of fact, Pan still trained like Bra did. Suddenly Bra started feeling very uncomfortable and she couldn't explain why.  
  
"Okay, Bra. The guys are gone now," Pan said. "If you wanna tell us what's been going on, it's okay. We're here for you."  
  
Marron, Bra noticed, was silent.  
  
"I told you, it's nothing. No—thing," Bra told her plainly.  
  
"Fine, Bra. Keep it all locked up inside. YOU'RE the one who's gonna have to deal with it. And when you have to deal with it alone, don't come crawling to us—" Marron was saying.  
  
Bra's eyes flashed green for an instant and obviously Pan had seen and felt the change. "Alright girls. Okay," Pan interceded, standing between the two. "It's okay that you don't want to tell us, Bra. But that's not the only reason we wanted to bring you out with us today."  
  
Bra got a sinking feeling. Why had she gotten this feeling of utter dread all of a sudden?  
  
"We wanted to tell you something," Pan continued. She took Marron's hand.  
  
Oh no....  
  
"Marron and I are dating," Pan whispered to Bra.  
  
....  
  
--End That's Not the Last of It or the Worst Part--  
  
--Now, I'm sure some of you may have some comments about what Bra just discovered. I wanna hear from you. Who saw it coming from the moment Marron's name was mentioned? Who saw it as a total shocker? Let me know what you think. Send out the flames, if need be.  
  
--Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I especially appreciate the advice on how to properly execute a written fight scene. You don't know how much it means to me. I'll try to go by it if I plan to do an action/adventure fic. 


	11. Reveal

Versus  
  
--Reveal--  
  
"Excuse me?" Bra said, trying to digest what had just been told to her. Had she heard it right? She must have been going slightly deaf and jumbling words up in her head. That was it. It wasn't—  
  
"Marron and I are dating," Pan repeated.  
  
Wow. Bra was REALLY messed up. It sounded exactly the same as it had when she said it before. She paled at the thought. The only two girls she would be caught dead out in public with were....  
  
"But you can't tell anyone," Pan said, letting go of Marron's hand and prancing off to the other side of the store.  
  
"I don't think you have to worry about that. Especially if she's as good at keeping other people's secrets as she is at keeping her own," Marron reminded Pan. She followed Pan.  
  
Bra stood still, dumbfounded by the idea that these two were...lesbians. How could that be? She was always under the impression that Pan liked her brother; of course she never said anything about it. She didn't care what Marron's preference was. Bra felt woozy. Well, if these two had the courage to reveal their secret to her, maybe she should at least tell them why she'd been acting the way she had lately.  
  
"Come on. Come on, Bra," Pan called to her. "We've gotta go to Rave!"  
  
Bra lagged behind the girls silently. This was a pretty big deal. How long had this been going on?  
  
"How long has this been going on?" Bra found herself asking once they entered the clothing store.  
  
"What? This sale? It's been on for the past two weeks," Marron said, looking through a rack of dresses.  
  
Nincompoop!  
  
"I mean...you two," Bra said hesitantly.  
  
"Oh, we've been dating for about a month now," Pan informed.  
  
A month? So they started dating over the summer? Bra really began feeling sick then. Sure, it wasn't as long as she'd kept her love for Goten a secret, but this was really something. Bra took a deep breath, hoping that it would relieve her nausea. Now that their secret was out, they probably really expected for her to tell them what was wrong with her. Ha! Like that would ever happen.  
  
After a very long silence came a single statement:  
  
"I like a guy and he doesn't like me," Bra said without thinking. She gasped and covered her mouth. What a slip-up. Her voice had a very bad habit of saying things she didn't want to say. She hadn't PLANNED on ever REALLY telling them what was wrong. Now she had to deal with it. And now they would have a field day.  
  
Marron and Pan looked at each other. "ULS," they both stated.  
  
That stupid acronym. Was Bra the only one who had never heard of it?  
  
"Shoulda known that was what it was," Pan said. "Not even YOU are resilient enough to elude that."  
  
"Who is it?" Marron asked.  
  
That nosey know-nothing.  
  
"What's it to you?" Bra growled.  
  
"Relax. Both of you," Pan mediated. "I already know the rest. Told you it would work." She walked over to Marron and gave her a high-five.  
  
Marron laughed. "And it didn't even take as long as you said it would."  
  
Bra's brain couldn't decipher any of this. It had been stuck in autopilot for so long she wasn't sure what to make of what had happened or what had been said.  
  
"Don't know if I coulda put up that charade for long," Marron added.  
  
Bra gave the two of them a very angry, yet very confused look. "Wait just a minute. What are you talking about?" Bra asked. She was in a complete and total stupor as to what was going on.  
  
"Bra, we're not dating," Marron told Bra.  
  
"Yeah, it was just a convenient way to get you to talk about what you've been going through," Pan said. "Don't you feel better now that you've let your feelings out?"  
  
Before Bra could think straight, she had her hands around Pan's neck. It was all HER doing. Only this little practical joker would have done this to her. It was good to know that her friends weren't dating each other, but she had been deceived into telling them her own secret. She'd fallen for a very scandalous prank. Someone had to pay.  
  
As Bra got it fixed in her mind that she would crush Pan's trachea, Trunks and Goten came up and sat on a bench outside the store. Lucky devil. Bra would have to get her revenge at a later date.  
  
Bra let go of Pan and they both waved to the guys.  
  
Marron motioned for them to come into the store.  
  
They obeyed. While Pan and Marron ran around the stores asking for suggestions on which outfits were the best, Goten, Trunks and Bra dawdled behind. This REALLY wasn't Bra's thing unless it was completely necessary for her to have clothes for a certain occasion.  
  
Goten would sometimes give the girls his usual smile and tried to recommend outfits to buy. That was just the type of guy he was. Always sweet. Always helping out no matter what the situation.  
  
"Hey, Bra," Goten said. He held up a black spaghetti-strap mini dress. "What do you think?"  
  
What a goofy guy. "I don't think it's your size," Bra told him. A smile finally graced her lips again.  
  
"No, silly," Goten sighed. He handed the dress to her. "That would be really cute on you."  
  
Blood rushed to her face and she was taken aback. She silently accepted the dress and looked away from him. Was he just trying to be nice to her, or was he serious? Maybe he was just trying to get her involved with the other girls. Well, if he thought she'd look nice in it, she was definitely going to buy it.  
  
"What? Don't you like it?" Goten asked.  
  
Bra continued to blush. If there had been some way for her to control the amount of blood flowing to her cheeks, now would be a good time to discover it. "Of course." She'd tried to sound dignified instead of sounding like a mouse. It just so happened that she didn't have control over the way it came out. Should have, but didn't.  
  
Goten smiled that smile, sending her heart into a swift cadence.  
  
They continued on their journey throughout the rest of the mall for the next hour and a half. Marron had the most clothes. Goten and Trunks ended up carrying most of her bags. Pan had a couple of bags. All Bra had was the dress Goten picked out for her. Maybe she would wear it tomorrow at school.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--back at home--  
  
So the day hadn't been a total waste. She was with Goten most of the time. And time with Goten is all she ever really wanted. He'd even picked out something for her. It sent quivers up and down her spine.  
  
But....  
  
Now those little hens knew that she had a love for someone who didn't love her back. And what had Pan said? Something about knowing the rest? She would have to wring the information from her jokey little throat tomorrow.  
  
--End Reveal--  
  
--Fine. So you all saw through my little scheme. But it was fun while it lasted.  
  
--Bra's ready to kill Pan. Will she accomplish this feat? Or will she be too preoccupied with something else to bother? Please tune in for the next episode of Versus.  
  
--Now honestly, think about all the girls you know and tell me this. How many of them date or are married to guys between 6 and 12 years older than them? The age thing here isn't really a big deal. But I guess the teacher thing is.... Let me know what you think.  
  
--Thank you for all the reviews. I know the last chapter and this chapter were a little strange, but I hope you'll put up with my weirdness long enough to at least see me through this story. But you can't say that I didn't warn you that this was the story that gets more and more ridiculous by the minute and you never know what will happen from one day to the next. 


	12. Dress: If You Put It On

Versus  
  
--Dress: If You Put It On--  
  
'Never let your feelings cloud your judgment in a fight,' she remembered her father telling her. It was easier said than done. She should have snapped Pan's neck like a twig yesterday. Chances are that it wouldn't have happened without a fight. It would have been worth it. But she also remembered him telling her, 'Never mix business and pleasure.' Great. School may have been her business, but her teacher was definitely her pleasure. So all the rules went out the window a long time ago. Continuing on this roller coaster ride she called her life, Bra entered the school.  
  
The first person she ran into was Goten. Cheerful, as always. She wouldn't be thrown by his charms today. She had to keep a level head. She had to make sure that her focus was on school. She had to concentrate on history.  
  
"Hey! I see you wore that dress," Goten said, walking over to her.  
  
What did he do? Stand outside his door and wait for her to come to class?  
  
"You look great," he added. He then took one of her hands and turned her around slowly.  
  
The blood once again rushed to her face. She looked at the floor. "Thank you," she replied in a small voice. There she was. The timid little flower had returned. If she could just keep her emotions and her reactions under control, she wouldn't have a problem. Too bad. She would lose to this guy every time.  
  
He let go of her hand. "Oh, yeah. Someone left a message for you in the office. I think they said it was your mom."  
  
Her mom? Well, she hadn't seen her all morning. What could she want? Bra quickly made her way to the office, hoping nothing was too terribly wrong. When she got there, the secretary immediately knew who she was. The very tall thin woman gave Bra a yellow sticky note, inked in red:  
  
'Bra, Since you seem to be so down lately, I've taken the liberty of setting up an appointment for you to talk to someone. Please go by and see the school counselor during lunch. Love, Mom.'  
  
AWWWWWW!!! NO WAY!!! She had to talk to someone? She had to go and see that stupid redhead? She had to skip out on LUNCH? AWWWWWWWW!!! Awwwwww!! Awww.  
  
Bra made her way back to her first class quietly. Thank goodness the bell hadn't rung yet. So she wasn't late.  
  
Goten had gone into the classroom but as soon as she entered he turned from writing on the board. "Was everything okay?"  
  
Bra nodded. "She just...wanted me to pick up something on the way home," she lied. Why didn't she tell him the truth? It was harmless enough. All she had to do was talk to the school counselor. It wasn't a big deal....  
  
She took her seat in front of the devil. Bra had no intention of initiating a conversation with this hell-spawn. And she wouldn't have to.  
  
"Hey, Bra. I had a lot of fun yesterday. How about you?" Pan asked. She had that smile on her face. It was a smile that screamed, 'I know something you don't want me to know.'  
  
Bra wanted to break this girl's nose, but she couldn't cause a scene in Goten's class. Maybe later. "It was okay."  
  
"I see you're wearing that dress Uncle Goten picked out for you," Pan said. "Kinda short, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. So?" Bra said. Of course, she never wore things that exposed her legs, which was why they were a pasty color. She really needed a tan. Of course, this was the only time she would be wearing something like this.  
  
The bell rang for class to begin.  
  
Pan smiled wider. "Let the lesson begin."  
  
That girl either liked to talk or she'd gone wacky from one-upping her yesterday.  
  
"Wait. What were you saying yesterday about knowing—" Bra began.  
  
"You ladies sure do like to talk over in that corner," Goten said from the front of the classroom.  
  
Bra turned her attention to him. Wow. He sure took this teaching thing seriously. It's like he wasn't the same person. But then again, it's like he WAS the same person. It was weird.  
  
As he began teaching about Roman crap that Bra didn't care about, she remembered one of Pan's many statements from yesterday. She'd said that all the girls in the class lusted after him. Bra looked around the classroom at the other girls. Yeah, those were the looks. Those were the very same looks she had on her face for the first two days of school. Goten didn't seem to know their eyes were stalking his every move.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--after class--  
  
As always, the rest of the class was packing to leave while Bra lingered behind. She was just slow at packing her things. Yeah, that was it. Slow. In other words, she had to have her last intake of Goten-y goodness before she went about the rest of her day with her head in the clouds.  
  
"Didn't you wanna ask me something earlier?" Pan asked her. She already had her things packed and she was ready to make the venture to their next class.  
  
Bra stayed in her seat. "Yeah. I'll just have to catch you in our next class. I have to...ask Goten a question about what we discussed today." It was a lie. And it was dangerous to lie to someone who knew so much about you.  
  
"Alright. I'll see you then," Pan said cheerfully. She made her departure.  
  
HA! Pan was as oblivious as the rest of the Son family. Maybe her day wouldn't be as bad as she thought.  
  
Bra watched Goten erase the board like he did after all their classes. Should she talk to him? They were friends. It was no big deal. She should be able to talk to this guy about anything. SHOULD be able to....  
  
She stood and slowly made her way toward him. She wasn't sure what she was going to say. She really didn't have anything specific to talk to him about. Initiating a conversation with him should have been easy. SHOULD have been....  
  
Then he turned to her. "We meet again," he said.  
  
They were alone yet again. And she had lost her voice yet again. She just stood in front of him, staring at his lips. What was she waiting for? What was she even there for? Why were they both just standing there like this?  
  
Goten raised his eyebrows. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"  
  
Just as he said that, the door opened and the two turned around, startled. Uh, oh. It was that stupid redhead. What had he said her name was? Parrot or something. Bra narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at the woman who entered.  
  
"Oh," the woman's irritating voice rang. "I didn't mean to interrupt." The dim-witted hussy walked over to them anyway. "Hi. You must be Bra. You look every bit like your mother."  
  
That foolish woman had the unmitigated audacity to speak directly to Bra. She could feel the anger rising. But she had to keep a cool head for her own sake. So she nodded to keep from biting this pretty pigeon's head off.  
  
"Oh, good," the lady said. "I look forward to seeing you at lunch. You should hurry along. Your next class will be starting soon."  
  
Unbelievable! The bitch was pretty much telling her to get out. In other words she was saying, 'You're taking up too much of MY man's time, so get lost.' Sure, it SOUNDED pleasant enough, but Bra took it as a jab to the face. Oh, Bra would NOT be run off so easily.  
  
Just as she was about to speak, Goten took the stage. "Paris is right, Bra. You should probably get going."  
  
It was like a boulder was dropped on her. Even HE was shooing her away. What had she done to deserve this treatment? Especially from him? After he'd spent so much time with her, she thought for certain the tide was turning in her favor. And after all the compliments about her dress, she couldn't help thinking he was beginning to feel something for her. She was wrong again. Would she ever get this love thing right?  
  
--End Dress: If You Put It On--  
  
--Yet another episode of Versus is out and about. Thank you for reading it. Let me know what you think.  
  
--I have a couple of comments today, so bare with me if you will. These are just some of my personal opinions about Versus and the characters involved.  
  
--I was glad to see that someone picked up on how clueless Trunks had been acting in all of this. I have some theories as to why I did that. (That's right. Some of you might think that I do a lot of this for a reason, when in fact, I don't. Not most of the time anyway. So if you see something that doesn't make sense or that makes a little too much sense, let me know. I sometimes have a general idea about where an episode is going, but sometimes I don't know what's gonna happen from sentence to sentence.) Now a brother who is close to his sister and the guy his sister is interested in will do one of several things: 1) he'll get really protective of his sister and try to kill his best friend; 2) he'll ignore it all because he doesn't want to think about his best friend and his sister in that way; 3) he'll be all for it, then threaten to kill his best friend if he ever hurts his sister; 4) he'll never be the wiser because he just can't see that his best friend and his sister would be that way. So it must either be #2 or #4. But he definitely suspects something. It just comes along more slowly than it should.  
  
--I also noticed that no one brings up the fact that Marron is very much so hated in this story. I think Marron takes more abuse than Bra does. If there are any Marron fans amongst ye who read this garbage, I'm really sorry. I actually kinda like Marron, but my character doesn't. Not my fault.  
  
--Thanks to those of you who stuck it out through my little rant and rave section. If you have comments or questions about anything so far, please review and let me know. I thank you many millions of times for your past reviews and thanks for the suggestions. I'll keep them in mind. 


	13. What’s That Color Forming Around Your Ey...

Versus  
  
--What's That Color Forming Around Your Eyes?--  
  
The day was only beginning.  
  
Bra wanted desperately to remove the dress she had worn for HIM. She wanted to stop her journey to her next class, sit in the middle of the hall and cry. As a matter of fact, her eyes had begun to sting now. Crying would get her nowhere! If her parents, especially her father, saw her like this, they would probably disown her. They both preached against the kind of behavior Bra was exhibiting now.  
  
She had to suck it up. She had to go on like nothing ever happened. And if she let a tear drop helplessly from her eye, she will have disgraced herself and her family. Okay, so maybe that was a bit dramatic, but she couldn't go into her next class with tears in her eyes or Pan would question her to no end.  
  
After a few minutes, she'd gotten her tear ducts under control. It was the most control she'd had over the past couple of days. Sure, she was late for class, but it was worth it to not have Pan witness her at her weakest point.  
  
"So glad you could make it," Pan said as she entered and sat in front of her.  
  
Bra looked around the room and saw that the students were just doing whatever. "What's going on?"  
  
"Teach stepped out," Pan said. She raised an eyebrow. "Have you been crying?"  
  
What the hell? Bra thought she'd gotten rid of all the evidence. She wiped at her eyes indifferently. "I got dust in my eyes. I'm allergic." Were those two different lies? At that point in time, she didn't really care. If Pan fell for either of them, it was okay. She just hoped she wouldn't call her on it. Of course, if Bra changed the subject, she wouldn't have anything to worry about. "I wanted to ask you something. Yesterday when I told you...what I told you, you said you already knew the rest. What—"  
  
"You honestly believe I don't know what's going on?" Pan interrupted.  
  
There was a silence. Did she expect her to answer that question? Or was it one of those rhetorical questions that philosophers like to pose. Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Questions no one in his right mind would care about. Except this particular question, Bra DID care about. She decided not to answer, fearing she may take any answer she gave her the wrong way.  
  
The teacher came back into the room and all the students returned to their seats.  
  
"I've got my eye on you from now on," Pan said.  
  
Maybe she was bluffing the whole time in order to get her to talk. She'd already tricked her once. She wouldn't be tricked again so easily. But.... What if she DID know? Would she go back and tell her uncle? Now, only time would tell. Bra definitely wouldn't.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--lunch time--  
  
She couldn't believe she had to spend her lunch period talking to a woman she hated about a man she had no chance of having. Why? Why had her mother done this to her? She may as well have sent her to a certified shrink.  
  
"Bra, please come in," the irksome voice echoed through Bra's mind.  
  
How childish this woman sounded. Was she just trying to be cute all the time or was she actually this annoying to listen to? Well, she may as well try to be nice since this woman seemed to know her mother.  
  
"Hello, Ms.—" Bra began. She looked for the girl's name somewhere in the room. It surely wasn't on her desk yet.  
  
"Please. Call me Paris. I'd like to be on a first name basis with all of the students I see," the redhead told her. "Have a seat."  
  
Bra watched as the obviously confident woman took her own seat. She sat as well. There was nothing to talk to her about.  
  
"So.... Your mother tells me that you've been showing aggression and locking yourself in your room lately. Would you like to talk about it?" her nemesis asked.  
  
"There's nothing to talk about. I've been in a bad mood. That's all," Bra said, feeling herself become angry with the woman in front of her. She wondered what this Paris and Goten talked about after class. There was really no way for her to find out, yet she so desperately wanted to know.  
  
"Come now, dear," Paris said. "Everyone has troubles during this time in his or her life. The successful ones deal with them by talking to someone. Now, you don't have to talk to me about whatever it is that's bothering you, but please talk to someone."  
  
Bra didn't want to hear that. What she really wanted to do right now was blow this redhead's pretty little face off. She decided to remain silent because her next words were bound to be quite angry.  
  
"Is there anything you WOULD like to talk to me about? Your grades? Your history teacher tells me that he tutors you after school," Paris said. "Is it helping?"  
  
She should have smacked this woman across the eyes right then and there. She took a deep breath. "It's fine," she said through her teeth. Uh oh! Maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut. By the look on Paris's face, she must have suspected something by the way she said it.  
  
"What is it? Oh, you're one of those straight A students who doesn't like tutors, aren't you?" Paris said with a smile. "I'll bet that that's been your problem the whole time. Am I right?"  
  
"My problems are mine to deal with. I don't even know why I'm here. Everybody should just stay out of my business. I'll handle it all myself," Bra spat at the woman. With that she stormed out. Once again, tears threatened her eyes. This time she didn't even know why. Was she really turning out to be one of the helpless, hopeless females she despised so much? This was probably how that senseless Paris would have acted in this situation. She didn't want to be like that. And there was no need for her to talk to anyone about something she was managing just fine on her own. She didn't have to put up with that idiotic woman. She was fed up with people meddling in her affairs. She was tired of everyone telling her that she needed to talk to someone. Hell, she was hungry.  
  
As she walked down the empty hall toward the lunchroom, she ran into someone. She'd been walking so fast that she ended up knocking herself onto the floor. She would have trucked straight over most of the people at this school. Who could have been standing in the middle of the hall that could put up the resistance of a brick wall...? Oh no.  
  
She looked up and saw the smiling face of Goten. She was speechless as he helped her to her feet.  
  
"I'm so sorry. I was in La-La Land for a minute there," Goten said. He gave her a confused look. "Is...something wrong, Bra?"  
  
He was still holding her hands. Or was she still holding his? Oh! She was holding his. She'd had a vice grip on them too. She let him go. "N—nothing's wrong."  
  
"Well, it just looks like you've been crying," Goten informed her.  
  
Dammit! Tears, whether they've fallen or not, always form that sick color around your eyes. "It's—it's nothing." She tried to walk past him.  
  
"But where are you going in such a hurry?" Goten asked.  
  
"I—I missed most of lunch," Bra answered. Why was she stuttering all of a sudden? "I—I gotta go." She ran off.  
  
It didn't look very good for her to go running away from him like that. Especially since he would most likely ask her about it during their study session.  
  
Then again, she had a few things to ask him herself.  
  
--End What's That Color Forming Around Your Eyes?--  
  
--Well, I hope you enjoyed that episode of Versus. Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for the love story with more problems than solutions....  
  
--Thanks for the reviews. Keep up the good work and I might just finish this thing one day.  
  
--Now for the comments. I must admit, Bra is a very strange young lady in this particular story. She's violent. She's dramatic. She's just plain nuts sometimes. I don't know if it's a mental condition or what. What do you guys think? Let me know something.  
  
--I also want to get on Goten for a minute. I don't know if he knows he's f---ing with this young girl's mind or not. It's kinda starting to piss me off. And that's a shame, cause it's MY story. (I also want to add that I'm a HUGE Goten fan.) If you have some opinions or theories or comments you'd like to add, just let me know. 


	14. A Bad Case of Day Lates and Dollar Short...

Versus  
  
--A Bad Case of Day Lates and Dollar Shorts--  
  
She wanted to know what those two talked about after his first class. Goten and that woman. That COUNSELOR. It was the second day she'd shown up there. On the first day the two kissed. On the second day Bra was dismissed. What was going on behind closed doors at her high school? She simply had to know. And she would ask him directly. No beating around the bush. No cleaver innuendos. Just simple and to-the-point questioning.  
  
She entered the local library and saw him sitting there. As usual, he read his newspaper without a care in the world. That was the way he'd always been. No cares. No worries. She was ashamed to say that she envied this man for his ability to be so unconcerned with what went on around him. Or at least it seemed that way to her. She knew that everyone had his or her concerns in life, but this guy sure didn't show it. She could feel herself growing slightly angry with HIM now. But then again....  
  
He looked up at her and smiled. This man was relentless in his attacks on her heart. Every single blow sent her farther and farther beyond the point of no return. This had to come to some sort of conclusion one way or another.  
  
"Hi," Goten said to her.  
  
It was his usual greeting, but for some reason, it enraged her. He was once again oblivious to her feelings. He had to know something was up. He had to. He had the ability to search for people's feelings.  
  
"You're late, little missy. I'm gonna have to keep you here longer," Goten razzed playfully.  
  
She was in no mood for games. She just gave him very VERY serious look.  
  
Goten obviously noticed THAT. "Whoa! Hey, what's going on? I was just kidding. Don't bite my head off about it." He scratched the back of his head.  
  
It was cute to see him go all panicky like that, but she wouldn't let that stop her from getting down to business. So her facial expression stayed the same and she headed up the spiraling stairs. She would get the answers she seeked.  
  
The two entered their usual room. Goten hesitated at the doorway as Bra took her seat.  
  
"Um, listen, Bra. If you don't wanna do this today, I completely understand. We can take a day off and start fresh tomorrow," Goten suggested nervously.  
  
"We're doing this today," Bra said. She had complete control over her voice this time. It was like she'd finally summoned enough of her own willpower to take matters into her own hands. She was actually pretty proud of herself.  
  
Goten silently entered Bra's domain. He was very slow about closing the door, but when it finally clicked shut, Bra motioned for him to have a seat.  
  
"Okay," Goten muttered, obeying her request.  
  
What was he so afraid of? Sure, Bra was being pretty weird and even a little cold-hearted toward him, but that was no reason for this grown man to behave this way. Maybe he remembered the old saying: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  
  
"Now," Bra began. She looked at him sternly. "First things first. Why is that Paris woman always coming to your classroom after class?" Sure, she probably shouldn't be asking him this. If he didn't know she was in love with him before, he undoubtedly knew now.  
  
He looked surprised.  
  
What? Could he not believe she would ask something like that? It was the logical thing to do, wasn't it? Every time she wanted to talk to him after class, Paris was there. And they both sent her away like some kind of lost puppy.  
  
"Well..., we're old friends," Goten said. "Like I said, I dated her in college.... And—"  
  
And what? What was he leaving out? What did he NOT want to tell her?  
  
"Why are you asking me this?" Goten asked innocently.  
  
How dare he? He hadn't even finished his statement. "I'm asking you this because I'm concerned.... I'm concerned for my friend's well-being." She'd backpedaled. She was supposed to confess it all here and now. And she'd failed to do so. She would have to try again before their study session was done.  
  
"Oh...." He sounded a bit strange when he said it.  
  
"What else were you going to say?" Bra asked him.  
  
"Um..., she...wants us to get back together. She asked me out and I kinda said yeah. Just as friends. And we'd see where it went from there," Goten murmured, fiddling with his fingers.  
  
That knocked the wind out of her. Where had she gone wrong? Was there a way she could have stopped this from happening? She hadn't concentrated enough on the problem itself. She was sidetracked by other things so much so that she had overlooked the source of the problem. Paris.  
  
And what about the man before her? Had she danced around the subject for so long that it had come to this? She hoped that she was dreaming. She wished that she would wake from this nightmare she called existence. But all the wishing in the world wouldn't get her out of the situation she was in. All the wishing in the world would not turn back the hands of time. Wait! All the wishing in the world? The dragon balls!  
  
No. That was just the adrenaline talking. If it were meant to happen this way, then there was no need for her to even consider changing it. Besides, there was no guarantee that the circumstances wouldn't turn out the same.  
  
Her head hurt from the silence. From the heartache. From the anger. What was keeping her in this tiny room with this man who was dating another woman? This man, to whom she would pour her heart into a glass and offer it like wine. This man, to whom she would relinquish her soul if he asked.  
  
"Whatever makes you happy," was all Bra said before she stormed out of the room. She hadn't remembered standing. She hadn't remembered opening her mouth to speak. It was like the week had begun again, only this time, she hadn't gotten anything out of it. And this time, Goten hadn't called to her.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--back at home--  
  
The dress she'd worn that day was in tatters. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she didn't care since she never intended to wear it again anyway. She wasn't sure where she'd gone or what she'd done. She remembered a mountain and lots of smoke. Then she remembered landing at Capsule Corp. with blood running down one of her arms and a pain in her side.  
  
But surprisingly, she felt pretty good. Sure, all her muscles were sore. Yeah, her hair had gone from shoulder length to short uneven spikes. Hm. Her hair. How had that happened?  
  
She went into the guest bathroom to get the first aid kit in order to bandage her bleeding arm. It was nothing serious. A rock must have nicked her during the afternoon. She would have to get in the shower and change that bandage soon.  
  
She went into the kitchen and saw her mother getting something out of the cabinet. Uh oh. How would she explain her appearance?  
  
"Welcome home, sweetheart," Bulma said without turning around. "You're back late. Long study session?" It WAS around 9:00.  
  
Bra tried to sneak back out of the room. "You could say that."  
  
Bulma turned and looked at her daughter. "What happened to you?"  
  
"Funny story actually," Bra began. "You see..., I was working on this side project and it kinda...blew up in my face." That was the perfect explanation because it was true.  
  
"I told you to be careful with the amount of voltage you put through those experimental do-dads of yours," Bulma told her.  
  
"I'll be more careful next time. I promise," Bra said. Her mother had called out something else to her before she was all the way out of the room, but she hadn't heard. She went to her room to her own personal shower. It felt good to stand under the warmth as it rained down over her.  
  
If she could clear her mind completely of any thoughts of Goten, things might go much smoother for her. That would be hard to do. He WAS, after all, her history teacher AND tutor. But if she could just control the things her mind did, she would be in much better shape. Thinking about him had been all she'd done for years. She wasn't sure if her mind would be able to comprehend anything else. She needed something else to focus on. Maybe she should look for a boyfriend around her school. Maybe she could meet someone somewhere who she could pawn her feelings off on.  
  
Bra exited the bathroom with her now short hair wrapped in a towel. Maybe she needed a new look. She didn't have much of a choice right now. She'd have to cut it a little more for it all to be even.  
  
She plopped down on the bed and heard something rustle under her. What was this? She pulled out a rather formal-looking letter. She wasted no time opening it:  
  
'You're Invited.  
The Pleasure of Your Company is Requested  
At the Annual Gala Fashion Show and Reception  
To be Held at the Satan City Garden Center  
On Saturday, August 12th  
At 4 O'clock'  
  
Hm. It was from Marron. She thought it may have been something from Goten. Why she would think something like that, she wasn't sure. Well, maybe this was the occasion she needed to get her mind off of Goten. There were bound to be some nice guys there.  
  
--End A Bad Case of Day Lates and Dollar Shorts--  
  
--Bra gets her wits about her. Bra gets shut down again. Bra loses her mind and turns to self-inflicted abuse (or something like it). Now Paris has made her move. Is this the end for our heroine? Find out in the next episode of Versus.  
  
--Thank you for reading this installment of Versus. I honestly believe this story is coming to an end. I'm sure some of you are tired of seeing this poor girl suffer like this. I think I have an idea about what will happen. So, if you could just stick with me for about 4 or 5 more chapters, I think we'll actually make it through this thing. 


	15. Crawling Back to Start

--Original character alert!!: Those of you who don't like non-DB/Z/GT characters in stories, be forewarned. There IS an original character in this chapter. I hadn't planned on it happening, but it did. Sorry for any inconvenience.  
  
Versus  
  
--Crawling Back to Start--  
  
Bra was less angry today. She'd come to grips with the fact that she would have to wipe all her feelings for Goten aside and concentrate on moving on. It wouldn't be easy. He WAS, after all, her teacher AND her tutor. It would be a challenge, but she was a Saiyan. She was the daughter of the great Prince Vegeta. There was no way she could lose if she put everything she had into it.  
  
So she took a deep breath and entered the school. There, outside her first class, stood its teacher. As always. Hm. Getting over him really wasn't gonna be easy. The moment she laid eyes on him, her heart began to race.  
  
Oh no. He was walking toward her. He had that big Son smile on his face. What was this all about?  
  
"Wow, Bra," Goten said. "Your hair looks really nice like that."  
  
Oh yeah. She forgot about her little mishap. She'd ended up cutting her hair to about the middle of her ears. She'd tried to brush it all back, but some of it escaped and some stuck straight up. Why would he LIKE her hair like this? It wasn't even styled.  
  
Just as she was about to speak, he reached over and pushed some of the loose strands from around her eyes. And she stopped breathing. She had somehow forgotten how to breathe for a moment. Then she cleared her throat. "Um...thank you. It's not really—"  
  
"Yeah, you can see more of your face than when it was long," Goten added. "You shouldn't hide behind your hair."  
  
Bra gasped quietly, yet it was loud enough to be heard. Especially by Saiyan ears. She blushed and immediately wished she had her automatic curtain. Her already whimsical heart went into a state of emergency. She wasn't sure why she'd let him touch her hair. All she knew was that she'd wanted him to touch her in other places as well. For a girl who wasn't supposed to be thinking about this man, she sure was willing to have him near her in every possible way.  
  
She'd simply have to change her tactics. She gave Goten a small smile and hurried past him into the classroom. Straight away every eye in the room greeted her. Her new haircut would undoubtedly be the talk of the town. Since when did so many students start showing up for class this early? Maybe she was late.  
  
Before she sat at her desk, she scanned the room for a guinea pig. There were plenty of guys around who had a crush on her. Sure, both she and Pan had reputations as tomboys, but guys were still attracted to both of them. One of these young men was her science partner at the end of the year last year. They had hit it off pretty well, but she, of course, never conversed with anyone unless she had to. Unfortunately, he had the same reputation, so today was the day she would have to make an exception. She moseyed over and sat in front of him for the time being.  
  
Randall—age: 17—He had mid length dark brown hair and dark brown eyes that were slightly magnified by a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. Everybody thought he was a nerd, but he'd always seemed really nice. He was the shy sort, but he was smart, funny and respectful.  
  
The two of them made small talk for a while. They talked about their project for science class last year. He'd complimented her hair and she'd complimented the drawing he was doodling on his desk. They asked about each other's summer as well. He also mentioned something about transferring to another school soon.  
  
He'd given her the strangest look the entire time they talked. Certainly it was common knowledge that Bra never EVER approached people socially. She couldn't blame him for being a bit baffled.  
  
"Well...," Bra began. She played at her hands. She was nervous. She'd never asked a boy out before. And when boys asked her out, she usually said no. What if this guy had a girlfriend or something? He was the only person she'd ever even consider dating other than.... "There's this fancy little get-together this weekend. I was kinda hoping...you'd be my date." Cross your fingers. Close your eyes. Count to ten. And then, surprise.  
  
He was silent. When she looked back at him, she saw the most familiar look on his face. It was a look of confusion. It was an expression she'd seen plastered on another certain face more times than she could count.  
  
"Is this some kind of joke?" Randall asked.  
  
Did she look like the joking type? Was it so hard to believe that she would seriously ask a guy out? Well, considering her track record, it wasn't very likely. As a matter of fact, this moment should probably go in Guinness.  
  
"It's not a joke," Bra assured him. "Now, will you be my date or not?" It wasn't a nice attitude to take with someone you wanted a favor from. Maybe she should have used a kinder voice. "I just need an escort this one day," Bra said, changing her tone.  
  
"Well, okay," Randall said.  
  
"Great. Thank you so much. I'll give you the details later," Bra said. She kissed him on the cheek, and then sashayed over to her regular seat.  
  
He was transferring to another school. What kind of luck did she have? The only guy in the entire school she would consider was leaving....  
  
Pan was looking at her strangely. "What are you doing kissing Randall?"  
  
"He's gonna be my date for the gala," Bra answered.  
  
"Come again?" Pan said.  
  
"He's my date for the fashion show," Bra repeated. "You got an invitation, right?"  
  
"Of course I did. That's not the part I wanted you to explain," Pan told her. "You're actually gonna have a date for this thing?"  
  
"Yeah," Bra replied. Man, how many times was she gonna have to answer that question?  
  
"Someone asked you out and you actually said yes?" Pan asked, still flabbergasted.  
  
"No. I asked him," Bra told her.  
  
"YOU asked HIM?!!" Pan hissed, obviously stunned.  
  
Was there an echo in here? Pan really knew how to overreact about things. "I asked him. That's right." Well, coming from her, maybe it was a little astonishing.  
  
Pan looked at Bra out of the corner of her eye. "Do you have any idea how strange that sounds?"  
  
Bra raised her eyebrows.  
  
"He's the King of Nerds!!" Pan stated plainly.  
  
"He's really nice. And I don't appreciate you talking about him like that," Bra said. She should have slapped this girl silly for insulting her taste in men.  
  
"Have you gone nuts?" Pan asked. "Of all people, I never pegged you as the type to lose your mind."  
  
She must not have been paying attetion over the past few days.  
  
"Now I'll be the only one who doesn't have a date," Pan pouted.  
  
"Go with my brother," Bra suggested.  
  
Pan blushed. "What?"  
  
"Go with Trunks," Bra said. "You're really hard of hearing today. It's no big deal. It's not like it's a DATE kinda date. It's just an escort like me and Randall."  
  
Pan was still blushing. "He wouldn't wanna go to something like that with a high school girl."  
  
"Trust me. He won't care," Bra told her. She didn't even know if her brother had a girlfriend already or not.  
  
"Maybe I just shouldn't have a date," Pan said. "Especially with the shenanigans I've got planned for this little party." She had on a very mischievous grin.  
  
Bra never liked that look. She'd seen that look on this girl's face a million times before. Pan was willing to do something totally ridiculous. Something that was sure to make everyone at the gala remember who she was. Bra just hoped that she wouldn't have to get involved.  
  
"Okay, class. It's time to begin today's lesson," Goten stated indifferently.  
  
It wasn't his usual cheerful take on beginning class. What had changed in the short time between meeting him in the hall and starting class?  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--after class--  
  
Bra had gathered her things while the rest of the class was packing to leave. It was a first. She'd always stuck around to try to talk to their teacher. Not today. It was all a part of her new strategy to keep herself from thinking about him all the time.  
  
But just as she was about to exit with the crowd, she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. She turned to see Goten looking at her quite seriously. Very unusual.  
  
"Bra, I wanted to talk to you just for a second," he informed. "If that's okay, I mean."  
  
Bra sighed. What now? He'd already started dating their counselor. Why did she have to endure his presence now? It was already hard enough for her to keep him out of her mind without having his face be the last thing she saw before her next class. Couldn't it wait till they had their tutoring session?  
  
"I just wanted to ask if it was okay for us to take the afternoon off from studying today," Goten said. "I mean, you've been studying really hard and I think that missing one day couldn't hurt."  
  
That was a flat out lie. He was obviously canceling tutoring this afternoon. But why? She gave him a questioning look.  
  
Goten looked away. "It'll give you some time to do other stuff.... Like hanging out with that guy you were talking to this morning...."  
  
Ah ha! He'd seen her talking to Randall before class. She wondered if he'd heard their conversation. That should be none of his concern. Why was he butting in on her affairs?  
  
As they stood silently by the open door, someone knocked on it. The two of them turned around startled.  
  
There stood Red. That sickeningly sweet woman Goten was now seeing. She had a bad habit of walking in on them at critical moments in a conversation.  
  
"Hi," Paris said to Goten. She walked past Bra, completely ignoring her. "I had a FANTASTIC time last night." She had the nerve to plant a kiss right on Goten's lips.  
  
The bravado of this woman was enough to make Bra insane with jealousy. Yet she honestly had no reason to be. Paris had won fair and square. She'd made all the right moves while Bra stood aside and watched the man she loved be snatched away from her like so much candy from the hand of a child. Fair was fair. Besides, Bra had a new focus in life. Randall. It would only be for a short while, but every arduous journey had to begin with one step.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow morning." Bra bid farewell to Goten with a wave. She'd have to control her emotions. Hell, she was doing a great job of it considering what had just happened. She cleared her mind and set out for her next class.  
  
It wouldn't be easy to keep her mind off of the man she'd loved all her life. But with the right amount of willpower and strength, she just might pull it off again.  
  
--End Crawling Back to Start--  
  
--There we go. Ah, I feel a little better about this one than I did about the first one. Thanks for your help. And now that it's a LITTLE less crappy, I'd like to hear from you again. Not much changed, but please review anyway.  
  
--Sorry again for the surprise character. I can't express enough how I'm not the biggest fan of outside characters. That's probably another reason why I'm not the biggest fan of this particular episode.  
  
--Thanks for reading this episode of Versus. Thank you for all the past reviews. We're getting closer and closer to the last episode. So, please try to hang in there. 


	16. Yer Blues

Versus  
  
--Yer Blues--  
  
The last day of the first week of school went by with relative smoothness. Relative to what? She wasn't sure what she should compare it to. She was just glad she made it through.  
  
Goten hadn't waited outside the classroom that morning. He just sat at his desk, staring into space. Probably daydreaming about that stupid counselor.  
  
Pan hadn't asked her about any of yesterday's events again. All she talked about was her big surprise for the fashion show tomorrow. She wanted the show to go well for Marron, but she wanted to have some fun too. She already had everything planned out. She wouldn't tell Bra exactly what she had up her sleeve, but it was sure to be trouble.  
  
Bra had other things on her mind. It was hard work keeping Goten off her mind. In order for her to keep him off her mind, she had to concentrate more intensely. It was funny really. She had to think not to think.  
  
She told Randall about the fashion show and gave him all the details he would need, including where he could pick her up. Of course, he already knew where Capsule Corp. was located. Everybody in the city did. She hated that she was basically using this nice guy as a mental diversion, but it was her only solution to a dilemma with no foreseeable outcome.  
  
There was no tutoring on Fridays. In a way, she was grateful. As a matter of fact, she and Goten hadn't really spoken to each other the whole day.  
  
Pan and Marron wanted to drag Bra to the movies that night, but Bra insisted that she wasn't feeling well. It wouldn't have been a bad move to go out with them. It would have kept her mind otherwise occupied instead of staying in her room all night, sulking.  
  
And sulk she did. Her mind was so clouded that she hadn't even bothered to go out and train. Hopefully, tomorrow would bring in a better mood.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--the big day--  
  
Bra sat up on her bed and stretched. Why did she feel like she'd cried all night when she hadn't shed a tear? It was 9:00. To most people this was way too early to get up on a weekend, but to her family, rising early was important. She had overslept. No breakfast this morning. Her stomach roared its objection. She couldn't believe her mother had let her sleep for so long.  
  
She heard a lot of prattle from the living room. Who could be here at this hour? She put on her bathrobe and peeped around to see who would dare grace the place this early.  
  
The first person she saw was Marron. Of course. It was her big day. Naturally she would be out and about. But she'd heard more voices, hadn't she?  
  
Bra entered the room and saw her mother sitting and talking to all the ladies she had ever known. There was ChiChi, 18, Videl, Marron and Pan. Bra was astounded.  
  
"Morning, sleepy head. We've been waiting for you," Bulma said with a smile.  
  
"What? What for?" Bra asked. For some reason she feared that something had gone terribly wrong.  
  
"We're all going to the salon today. I reserved the whole salon just for us. We're gonna get the works," Marron sang. She was ecstatic.  
  
"Yeah. You went to your room so fast yesterday, I didn't have a chance to tell you," Bulma said.  
  
Salon? The works? Oh boy. This would take hours. And being women, they would all probably want to talk the whole time.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--on the way to the salon--  
  
Those hens had talked during the whole ride to the salon. Even 18 got involved in their lady-like conversation. Whatever it was that women talked about all the time. Bra had remained silent. But she wouldn't be left out for long.  
  
"I've known about this fashion show for less than a week myself. It was a surprise for me just like it was for the rest of you," Marron was saying. "I didn't really have a choice as to when the invitations came out. It was lucky that they came out when they did."  
  
"Of course, dear. We're glad to come out and support you," ChiChi said.  
  
"Yeah, thanks for inviting us," Videl added.  
  
"I feel so bad because some of us weren't able to find dates in time," Marron continued. "I mean, I barely got a hold of Uubu in time to invite him. I know Pan was saying that she didn't have a date and I doubt that Bra has one."  
  
"Bra has a date," Pan informed them all. She had victory written all over her face.  
  
This raven-haired monster enjoyed making a big scene. She obviously wanted to wait until a peak time to tell everyone at one time that Bra had a date. She hadn't even bothered to tell Marron. Bra was convinced that shocking people gave Pan some kind of charge.  
  
The other women looked surprised. Even Bulma.  
  
"You have a date for the gala and you didn't even tell me?" Bulma asked her daughter.  
  
"I didn't think it was a big deal," Bra said blandly. It wasn't a big deal, was it? Leave it to her mother to blow a simple thing like having a date for a fashion show out of proportion.  
  
"Well, who's the lucky guy? Do I know his parents? What does he look like?" Bulma bombarded her with questions.  
  
This woman needed precise details about everything. "What does it MATTER? He's just a guy from school. No—big—deal," Bra spelled out for her mother.  
  
The other women knew not to get in the middle of a Bulma argument.  
  
"Bra, I never know what's going on with you anymore," Bulma sighed. "I swear, sometimes you're just like your father."  
  
Bra kept her mouth closed and gave her mother a very uninterested look. Everyone knew she preferred her father over her mother anyway. No need to rub it in. Especially since she would be spending the rest of her day with these women.  
  
"So, your daughter managed a date and your son didn't. That's funny," 18 said to Bulma.  
  
"You're right," Bulma realized. She put her thinking cap on. To be a certifiable genius, this woman sure was slow.  
  
"I've got it!" Bulma said after everyone had stopped talking in order to allow her time to conjure up some sort of ingenious plan. "Trunks doesn't have a date. And Pan, you don't have a date. Why don't you go with Trunks?"  
  
Hallelujah! The great mastermind states the obvious.  
  
Bra had to admit; it felt good to watch someone else suffer for a change. She watched as Pan's face turned several shades of pink. But she dare not say anything. There was no telling what other secrets Pan might spew forth about her.  
  
"Alright," Pan said a little nervously. "Hey! There's the salon. Let's go."  
  
Bra also had to admit that Pan was the master of changing the subject when the pressure was on. It just so happened that things tended to work out in her favor most of the time.  
  
When the ladies got to the salon the whole place was bare apart from the staff. When Marron said that she had reserved to whole salon just for them, she wasn't joking. Every stylist, manicurist, pedicurist, make-up specialist, what-have-you were all at the women's fingertips. All they had to do was ask and services were provided. All the women continued to chat about daily life and all the girly stuff women tended to talk to each other about while Bra remained silent the whole time. She'd never been much of a talker. And listening to these chickadees' random gibber made her feel a little better about not having lots of female friends.  
  
--End Yer Blues--  
  
--I have to admit, this episode seems even more out of place than the last one. But we're getting closer and closer to the end. What happens next?  
  
--Thanks for reading this episode of Versus. There was basically no Goten in this episode, so who cares about it, right? Sorry for boring you all. (I have this huge fear of boring the hell out of people, as you can tell.) Please review. 


	17. I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore

Versus  
  
--I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore--  
  
The salon had taken all day. Or at least much longer than Bra had hoped. It seemed like a long time with all the talking and the showing off of nails and hair. As a matter of fact, everyone had made a huge fuss over Bra's hair. The short locks were curled upward in that oldies style that was coming back into fashion these days. She felt like an upside-down umbrella. She'd refused makeup. There was no way they would fix her up like a clown. She settled on applying her own lipstick at home. Her nails were trimmed, filed and coated with clear polish. And she refused to let anyone touch her feet. She could do that on her own if she wanted. Her eyebrows were fine. They had their own natural arch.  
  
In all her treatment took around an hour and a half. Still much too long for her taste. She just watched the rest of the girls who took up to and including 4 hours for their makeovers.  
  
They all separated in order to get dressed for the fashion show. What was this fancy occasion anyway? A bunch of models parading clothing that designers created. There was no fun in that. She'd be bored the whole time anyway.  
  
The dress Bra had picked out to wear was a beautiful red sleeveless form-fitting dress with sequined designs. Something she'd had in her closet from one of the Capsule Corp banquets earlier in the year (which she hadn't gone to). She appreciated the fact that the dress had kind of a mock turtle neck thing going on, but way too much of her back would be exposed. The thing swooped down almost to her tailbone. And it was too long. She'd have to walk around holding it up a bit so she wouldn't trip over the bottom of it. Her shoes were red high heeled sandals. Diamond and silver teardrops dangled from her ears. A silver armlet curled about her upper arm. And around her ankle was a small silver anklet.  
  
Hm. In all that red, she looked like the devil.  
  
She exited her room and ran into her father, who was also dressed and ready to go. She smiled at him. He may have been crazy about his little girl, but she also had a soft spot for him.  
  
"You look great, Papa," Bra complimented him.  
  
Vegeta grumbled nothing in particular. He wasn't looking forward to this fashion show. Bra already knew that.  
  
"Oh, Bra. You look fantastic," Bulma said from behind them. She had started getting teary-eyed.  
  
"Woman, why aren't you dressed yet?" Vegeta bellowed.  
  
All Bulma had on was a slip and some panty-hose. Bra doubted her mother would leave the house wearing that.  
  
Bulma shot a stare at her husband. "I have to find my shoes, you impatient idiot!!" She stormed off.  
  
Bra didn't grasp at all why those 2 were together for so long.  
  
Vegeta smirked as he watched his wife exit the room.  
  
Nope. Theirs was a relationship she'd never understand.  
  
"I'm gonna wait outside for my date, Dad," Bra said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Date?" Vegeta asked angrily.  
  
Oh yeah. Her mom must not have told him that she had a date for the gala. Pity. She sure hoped her father wouldn't kill the boy on sight.  
  
"Escort really," Bra corrected. She went outside as soon as she felt his power level go up. Her father was angry. And he was catching it from all angles. He already had to go to a fashion show he didn't want to go to. Now he finds out that his little girl has a date.  
  
Surprisingly enough, he hadn't chased her down to see who would dare date his daughter without his permission. And boy, was Bra thankful for that.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--the gala--  
  
Randall had arrived in his own little blue capsule car around 3:40. He was dressed quite nicely, wearing a black suit. All black. Everything he had on was black. So now they would most likely be considered the couple from Hell.  
  
When they arrived, of course, Marron was nowhere to be seen. She was back stage with the models and the other designers. But Pan, Trunks and Uubu were sitting at one of the tables in the corner. Pan waved frantically to her.  
  
What was wrong with the girl? It was like she'd eaten red-hot chili peppers or something. As a matter of fact, her face was tinted pink. Bra smiled. She wondered how Pan was fairing now that she had an official date with her brother. Heh, heh, heeeeeeh. [Sigh].  
  
"Hey, you two. Lookin' sharp," Trunks said to the two who had just arrived.  
  
Randall introduced himself to everyone and Bra introduced the group to him. That poor chap would be uncomfortable the whole day, being around a bunch of people he didn't even know.  
  
"Wow, everybody looks great. It's nice to see you guys dressed up every now and then," a familiar voice from behind them said.  
  
The whole group turned around and saw Goten making his grand entrance. And by his side was Bra's archrival. Paris was clinging to Goten's arm like he was her only means of survival. Bra couldn't blame the counselor for being so attached.  
  
Goten was wearing a cream colored suit and black dress shirt. His blazer was unbuttoned. His hair looked exactly the same as it always did. He was, as always, a sight to behold. He was also looking right at Bra.  
  
"Is there enough room at this table for two more?" the ditsy counselor asked. She pulled Goten over to a seat before she even got an answer. This lady didn't really know anyone at that table. The few people she did know, she didn't know very well.  
  
Everyone asked Uubu about the things he had been doing while he was away. Bra didn't really pay attention to what he was saying. She was just trying her best not to think about or look at Goten, who sat right across from her. Was this stupid fashion fiasco ever gonna start?  
  
"Um, Bra, are you feeling okay?" Randall whispered to her. "You look pale."  
  
"I'm fine. I just need some air," Bra whispered back. She stood quickly and headed toward the ladies' room. She wasn't sure what had made her go into a sudden panic like that. She looked in the mirror and saw that she was indeed pale. Maybe the clown thing wouldn't have been so bad.  
  
The door to the bathroom opened slowly. It was Pan. "Bra, what's wrong? You ran out of there like a monster was after you."  
  
"Nothing's wrong. Just go away," Bra said, close to tears. What was wrong with her? Had she been blocking out her emotions for so long that they'd finally come rushing to the forefront? "Go away."  
  
Pan slowly began walking toward her. "Bra, don't do this to yourself. If there's something wrong, you should tell someone." She walked over closer to her. "Are you pregnant?"  
  
Bra would have been offended, but with the way she'd said it, it could only be a joke. The goofy quarter-Saiyan had made her laugh. They both laughed for a little while.  
  
Then Bra sighed. "Really, Pan. I'm okay."  
  
Pan put her hands on her hips. "Alright Bra. I've tried to go easy on you. Now it's time to break out the big guns." She stomped back out to the main room.  
  
Bra was utterly confused as to what Pan meant. Break out the big guns?  
  
"Wait! I can't go in there!" Goten's voice echoed from outside the bathroom door.  
  
"Go! I'll tell them it's out of order. You're the only one who might be able to get through to her. Just find out what's wrong and report back," Pan told him, pushing him into the bathroom. "Don't come out until she's fixed."  
  
Oh, no. Bra wasn't gonna stand for this. She wouldn't be locked in a room alone with this man. Pan seemed to know that he was one of her weaknesses. It was obvious that she would have to do something about that.  
  
"Um, hi," Goten said. "You know, our parents finally showed up." That smile.  
  
She lost her words so easily in his presence. For the past couple of days, she'd blocked off any thoughts of him that lingered in her mind, hoping that that was the way to rid herself of her love for him. But every time he came walking back into her life, she went walking right out of her mind. And when she looked at him now, she saw the strangest, most peculiar look in his eyes.  
  
"I was...sent to fix you...or something like that," Goten said a little nervously.  
  
Bra was still silent. She couldn't spit out any witty comments. She couldn't even think straight.  
  
"So, what's wrong?" Goten asked quietly.  
  
While she wasn't paying attention, she had backed up against the wall and Goten stood about 3 feet in front of her. She leaned against the wall. "There's nothing wrong. Why does everyone think something's wrong with me?" the outburst came. "Maybe something's wrong with THEM. Did they ever think of that?"  
  
"Well, I've gotta admit, Bra. You haven't really been yourself recently," Goten proposed.  
  
"Not you too. Listen, you wouldn't know what I act like now anyway. You went missing for so long. You didn't even come back to see how I was," Bra stated. She'd lost control. She shouldn't have let that happen, but her emotions got the best of her.  
  
Wait. There was more. "Then you come swaggering back into my life 6 years later like everything's supposed to be exactly the way you left it. Well, that's not the way people work, dammit! People aren't like the room you left back home or the mountains you used to visit when you were a kid. People change whether you want them to or not." Boy, that was a load off her chest. She was beginning to feel lighter, like someone had lifted the world off her shoulders. Of course, she'd had no intention of telling him all of this. And she hadn't considered his feelings as she spilled out her own.  
  
"Bra, I never expected things to be the same once I came home," Goten said.  
  
She looked at him. Silence.  
  
"But, we've been friends for a long time and I'd like to believe we still are," Goten continued. "Then it came down to this fashion show and things really seemed to change."  
  
"If you hadn't noticed, things changed when you started dating that air-headed counselor," Bra interrupted. She was fuming. Anything that she thought now was very likely going to come flying from her mouth. She didn't care at this point.  
  
"Oh, we're not dating. When the fashion show came up, I just asked her to come with me. I didn't wanna look like a loser. Especially after I saw that you already had a date," Goten said.  
  
"So, now I'm the biggest loser you know?!!!" Bra shouted. What was he trying to say? That's what it sounded like he was saying. She should have rammed her fist through his good-for-nothing face!  
  
"No, I'm trying to tell you that ever since I got home, the only person I've wanted to spend time with is you," Goten said quietly.  
  
Huh? What was this? Was this another moment where she'd get her hopes up and have them slammed back down to earth like a cement slab? Bra's heart had flitted into overdrive anyway. She couldn't say anything. She wouldn't say anything. Not when whatever she said could cause her downfall.  
  
"When I came back, I already knew that things wouldn't be the same. And the first time I saw you again, I knew there was something different." Goten turned his back to her. "But the difference I saw wasn't in you. It was in me."  
  
It seemed he was beating around the bush.  
  
"We grew up together. You're my best friend's baby sister. You're so much younger than I am. You're my student," Goten added. "But I just can't fight this feeling anymore." He turned back to her. "You're the only girl for me."  
  
-- I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore--  
  
--Sorry about the long wait for this episode. I've had a lot of things going on lately. I hope you enjoyed it.  
  
--Bring on the complaints, questions and comments. Let me know what you think. I know this part wasn't what some of you would have liked. It seems my writing's getting crappier and crappier by the minute.  
  
--I know I ended it in a bad spot. I know I should have gone on. But there's more to come. Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter out in better time.  
  
--Oh, yeah. And for those of you who might be curious as to what's going on with the other couples in this story, please be patient. Besides, this is a Bra and Goten story from Bra's point of view. She doesn't have time to deal with their problems when she's got problems of her own. 


	18. No One Can Know How We Feel

Versus  
  
--No One Can Know How We Feel--  
  
What had he said? You're the only girl for me? That was what she recalled him saying. It had only happened a moment ago, yet she could not recollect his last words.  
  
"But look at me. Talking about MY problems. I was sent here to find out what's wrong with YOU," Goten said rather ridiculously. He scratched the back of his head and smiled that silly, embarrassed smile he always smiled.  
  
Bra could only stare blankly at him. She still wasn't sure if he'd said what he'd said.  
  
"Are you feeling okay?" Goten asked. "I could go and pick up some aspirin for you, if you want."  
  
Bra's mind slowed and shifted back into first gear. She wanted all of this to be true, but for the past few days, she'd received so many mixed signals, she didn't know what to believe. "Did you just say what I think you said?"  
  
"Well, yeah. But if you don't need aspirin, I could pick up something else," Goten suggested.  
  
"Not that. I don't care about medicine," Bra told him, becoming a little impatient. "I'm talking about the I'm the only girl for you thing." Her heart was racing. What if this wasn't what he meant? What if this is like all the other times when she'd hoped he would convey that he had special feelings for her?  
  
"Oh, yeah. That." Goten couldn't seem to find the words for what he wanted to say. "This whole time, you've seen me as an older brother, as a teacher, and as a friend. But I've always wanted there to be more between us. It's like I'm trying to take advantage of our closeness." There was that sad look in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, but I can't help the way I feel."  
  
That was enough for her. She smiled up at him. "I feel the same way." Just saying it made it easier for her to breathe.  
  
Goten gave her a surprised look. "You feel the same way?"  
  
Bra involuntarily chewed her bottom lip and nodded. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't know that. She'd basically told him every day they were together. (Well, maybe not.)  
  
"So, I've been beating myself up all week, thinking how wrong it was to feel this way about you, and you've felt this way about me the whole time?" Goten asked. "Unbelievable."  
  
"You think you've been beating YOURself up," Bra muttered.  
  
"So that's what's been bugging you lately?" Goten asked.  
  
"Of course it's been bugging me! I thought I had ULS!" Bra replied.  
  
Goten gave her a strange look. "What's ULS?"  
  
"Oh, never mind. It's nothing," Bra said.  
  
Goten shook his head. "To think I even went out with Paris to get my mind off of you. She's such a bore."  
  
Boy, she and Goten sure had a lot in common. "We'd better get out of here before people start thinking we got lost."  
  
"Um, before we go, there's something I wanna do," Goten said. He took her hands and looked into her eyes. Then, before she was even aware of what was going on, he had his lips pressed firmly against hers.  
  
It was like the first time they'd kissed. A tender exploration of one another's mouth. A timeless sense of serenity. A feeling of sheer ecstasy. Yet, this time, it was Bra who pushed Goten away. Her face, not to mention the rest of her body, had become warm. Blood was flowing hurriedly through her entire body. She wasn't sure how much time had passed while they kissed, but she DID know that they had to get out of that bathroom before things got carried away.  
  
"Goten, we'd better get out of here," Bra repeated.  
  
"You're right," Goten said.  
  
It was like lifting a shadow off a dream. And she had a feeling that everything from then on everything would be all right.  
  
But everything was not all right. Romantic student/teacher relationships weren't tolerated. In the eyes of the law, Bra was still a minor for at least another year. And they still had to face a fashion show and dates.  
  
"Wait. We can't just go out there and announce to everyone that we have feelings for each other. What about your job? What about prison? What about my father?" Bra reminded him.  
  
"Who says we're gonna announce it to everyone?" Goten asked. "Listen, we knew what we were getting into with each other. We'll just have to keep our feelings for each other a secret."  
  
"Easier said than done," Bra said. Especially since she probably wouldn't be able to keep her hands off him for very long.  
  
- & - & - & -  
  
--out in the show room--  
  
Pan intercepted the two before they could get back to the show room. Well, she intercepted her uncle anyway. Bra had just marched right past her. But she heard the interrogation.  
  
"Alright, Uncle Goten. I heard some yelling, but I couldn't make it out over all the talking in this place. So, what's her problem?" Pan questioned.  
  
"Oh, she said something about PMS or something like that," Goten lied.  
  
Bra was pretty impressed. For a person who usually couldn't lie to save his own life, he was sure doing a good job.  
  
"You two were in there an awfully long time. Are you sure that was all?" Pan asked.  
  
"Uhhhhhhh...," Goten said.  
  
Hm. He was losing it already. Bra stomped back over to Pan and grabbed her by the arm. "Let's move. We're gonna miss this whole stupid show," she said, dragging Pan back to the table.  
  
Pan had a bad tendency of bringing out any information she wanted out of a person. Very persistent lass, she was.  
  
A table was pulled up for all their parents to join them. The fashion show had finally started. Marron had finally returned and was sitting next to her date, Uubu. Her mother and father were there. Goku and ChiChi had shown up. Videl and Gohan were there. And of course, the parents of the main attraction were there. Bra took her seat next to Randall while Goten sat next to Paris and Pan sat next to Trunks.  
  
The large group had been chitchatting around about random things. The guys were mostly talking about fighting and the women were talking about how the guys didn't notice how nice they looked after their makeovers.  
  
"Oh, Bra. We had the privilege of meeting your date," Bulma said. "He seems really nice, right Vegeta?" She nudged her husband.  
  
Oh no. This was going to prove to be one mess of a day.  
  
"I won't have my daughter dating a weakling like him," Vegeta responded plainly.  
  
Of all the people in the entire world, her mother should have been the first to know that her father would say exactly what was on his mind. Sure, what was on his mind was a very rude comment about a young man that he didn't know. But most of the time, if Vegeta thought it, Vegeta said it. Bra had not inherited this characteristic. Sometimes it was for the best. And she could tell that Randall was VERY uncomfortable now.  
  
"Not everyone is a brutish barbarian like you are!!" Bulma yelled at her husband.  
  
"Yeah, it's not like you married a fighter, Vegeta," Krillin put in.  
  
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!" both Vegeta and Bulma shouted.  
  
"Well, excuse me," Krillin muttered.  
  
She wasn't about to stop this. Both her father and her mother were a little too aggressive. And even though Bra knew that her father could easily turn her mother into little more than a smudge on the wall, she thought it would be a good fight. At least she wouldn't be bored.  
  
"You sure were quick to jump in the sac with this brutish barbarian," Vegeta said with a sneer.  
  
Bulma gasped. "Why you dirty—"  
  
"Come on, you two. Let's not make a scene," Gohan negotiated.  
  
Both Vegeta and Bulma shot glares at Gohan.  
  
What was it with her parents? They had such a weird chemistry. It was like they lived for this sort of opposition. Bra looked around the table to see what other poor person would dare come between her parents' bickering. While Bulma and Vegeta continued their verbal tug-of-war, Bra noticed that Trunks and Pan had disappeared. She raised an eyebrow. What could those two be up to? She smirked.  
  
"When do we eat?" Goku asked, rubbing his stomach.  
  
"Oh, shut up, Kakarot," Vegeta said. "You're the whole reason I got stuck coming to this stupid event in the first place."  
  
"But Vegeta, you told me that Bulma was MAKING you come here or you wouldn't be allowed into the bedroom for a month," Goku reminded him.  
  
That was something Bra hadn't wanted to hear. Her parents and bedroom in the same sentence.  
  
"No one's paying attention to my designs," Marron said, close to tears. Uubu and 18 were comforting her.  
  
As the arguments ensued, there were several loud explosions from outside. Everyone who attended the fashion show looked toward the glass ceiling of the garden center and saw fireworks shooting above them. Even the models had stopped what they were doing to see the fantastic array of lights and colors from above.  
  
Bra laughed out loud. She seemed to be the only one who understood where this random sky act had come from. "Pan," she said to herself. She looked over at Goten, who just gazed at the fireworks. Even with that nitwit of a counselor hanging onto his arm, he seemed preoccupied with something else. And Bra knew that it was her that he was thinking about.  
  
--End--  
  
--Well, that's the end of Versus. I know. I know. This should have gone on longer. So many more things needed to be explained. Send in your complaints! Don't just sit there and weep! Do something about it! Questions. Comments. Anything. Just let me know.  
  
--Question for the audience. What in the world possessed me to name this story Versus?  
  
--Thanks for your support throughout this series. I really appreciate all the help that you folks provided. It's been a wild ride.  
  
--Oh, yeah. Just so you know, I plan on doing a sequel to this series. I don't know what it's gonna be called yet, so keep an eye out for a new Bra and Goten fic by SludgeMetal666. 


	19. Epilogue

Versus  
  
--Epilogue--  
  
By the time the fireworks stopped, it was 8:30. Of course, Bulma and Vegeta continued to argue. Those two had been known to go on like that for hours. Pan and Trunks were still nowhere to be seen. Uubu was chatting with Goku about training. Marron cried on her mother and father's shoulders while everyone else who attended the fashion show danced, conversed and drank. Music played softly in the background.  
  
But eventually, the caterers made the grave error of bringing out the food and Goku was immediately eating everything in sight.  
  
Goten, well on his way to wandering over to where his father stood, had been grabbed by Paris.  
  
Bra was mere seconds away from turning this counselor into a pile of ash on the floor.  
  
"Goten, honey. Let's dance," Paris requested.  
  
Honey?!! Oh, she was really beginning to piss Bra off.  
  
"But I was gonna grab something to eat. I'm sooooo hungry," Goten said.  
  
"Come on. After that beautiful fireworks show, you mean to tell me that you're not in a romantic mood?" Paris asked. She gave him a look that Bra didn't like. It was a look that any seductress would have used to get her way.  
  
Bra took a deep breath. Pummeling Goten's date for the evening wouldn't be a good way to go about keeping her feelings for him a secret. So instead, she took Randall's hand. "I love this song. Will you dance with me?" She stood, knowing he'd say yes. If he didn't, he'd be sorry.  
  
"Okay," Randall responded a little hesitantly. He followed her out to the dance floor.  
  
Bra looked back at Goten, who had a shocked look on his face. What was he so surprised about? In order to keep their secret, they had to go about things inconspicuously. And dancing with your date was inconspicuous. Even though she didn't want Goten to dance with that red- haired enchantress, she gave him a look that told him to do it.  
  
But Goten, the poor naive sap that he was, didn't understand her signal. His mind was obviously on food.  
  
"Um. Can I please get something to eat?" Goten asked Paris.  
  
Bra wasn't sure why he was asking her permission.  
  
"Fine, Goten," Paris said. "But when you get back, I want you to dance with me."  
  
Bra rolled her eyes. She held Randall close, but not too close, closed her eyes and listened to the music the DJ had selected. Ah, this was some DJ. He obviously liked REM.  
  
"I found a way to make you  
  
I found a way  
  
A way to make you smile  
  
I read bad poetry into your machine  
  
I save your messages just to hear your voice  
  
You always listen carefully to awkward rhymes  
  
You always say your name like I wouldn't know it's you  
  
At your most beautiful  
  
I found a way to make you  
  
I found a way  
  
A way to make you smile  
  
At my most beautiful  
  
I count your eyelashes secretly  
  
With every one whisper I love you  
  
I let you sleep  
  
I know you're closed-eyed watching me  
  
Listening, I thought I saw a smile  
  
I found a way to make you  
  
I found a way  
  
A way to make you smile"  
  
Yep. Every song from that moment on would make her think of Goten. As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING would make her think of Goten. Even as she danced with another man, she closed her eyes and imagined it was Goten. Strange. She'd done it before she knew Goten's feelings for her as well.  
  
Bra opened her eyes and saw Goku steadily stuffing his face. Goten had joined him, but he ate in a slightly neater fashion. Paris was sitting alone at their original table, watching Goten eat.  
  
She looked toward the entrance and saw her brother and Pan come in. Bra grinned. They'd put on quite a show with the fireworks. It was a surprise to everyone, but they hadn't destroyed anything. So it turned out to be the perfect practical joke.  
  
Well, not for Marron. She was still in tears.  
  
Just as the song ended, Pan bounced over to them, a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Hey. Where've you two been?" Bra asked. She raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Whoa! You're in a much better mood now," Pan pointed out. "Your dance with Randy here must have put some pep in your step."  
  
Randall blushed a little.  
  
"You could say that," Bra said. It wasn't that. But Randall did help a lot. Had she not gotten this date with him, she probably never would have found out Goten's feelings for her. And she would still be depressed.  
  
But that wasn't the point now. This little mistress of deception was trying to change the subject on her. And Bra wasn't like the rest of these fools. She knew when the girl wanted out of something. Bra turned to her brother. He'd give her some sort of answer. "So, where've you two been?" She was asking like she didn't know it was they who had put on the fireworks.  
  
Trunks pretty much ignored her. He was watching Paris and Goten dance. "Look at those two." He laughed.  
  
Goten was stepping on Paris's feet as they TRIED to dance. The counselor was obviously becoming very frustrated with him and she ended up pushing him away.  
  
Randall raised an eyebrow, Pan giggled under her breath and Bra only smiled and covered her face with her hands.  
  
Wait a minute! Trunks had changed the subject on her too. Those two were some pair. She couldn't even get an answer from her own brother. Well, she'd just have to grill them individually one day. As for now, they could keep dancing around the subject for as long as they wished. Bra couldn't complain. She already had what she REALLY wanted.  
  
But once again, Paris clamped herself onto Goten's arm and they seemed to be on their way out. Now, that couldn't be right. They were leaving early. Bra began to feel pangs of jealousy and rage building inside her. She also felt a panic take hold of her. Why would they be leaving so early? And why hadn't they let anyone know that they were going? She just hoped that this was all a part of keeping their secret. If not, this woman could prove to be a problem.  
  
--End Epilogue--  
  
--OK! I'm so glad that person reminded me that I didn't have an epilogue. Thanks a lot! Sorry it took so long to get this episode out. And it's gonna take another little while before I'm able to get the sequel started also. I'm trying to get some better computer gear and it's taking longer than I thought to get it all set up. Please be patient.  
  
--I'm also very sorry that it may not be up to par. My last few episodes didn't seem quite right to me for some reason. Anyway, if you have questions or comments just let me know.  
  
--Thank you all once again for reading this fic. It's true, I should have gotten this part out earlier, but I really hadn't thought about it till that kind person reminded me that I hadn't done an epilogue. But this wasn't really an epilogue, now was it?  
  
--Oh, yeah. The above song is not mine. It's R.E.M.'s "At My Most Beautiful." I think I said that in the episode, but I've said it again just in case. 


End file.
